


The Fisherman's Dream

by Yggdrastiles (hauntedsilences)



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: (i did say I'd be using that tag now), Alien Biology, Anal Sex, Bottom Hannibal, Dorks in Love, Dry Humping, Enthusiastic Consentacles, Exhibitionism, FINALLY AMIRITE?!, Friends to Lovers, Frottage, How Do I Tag, I Don't Even Know, I have no idea honestly, IT IS COMING BE PREPARED, Implied Mpreg, Jack Crawford Being an Asshole, Kinda, Light Bondage, M/M, Manipulative Hannibal, Medium-Rare, Mpreg, Non-Human Genitalia, Octopus Merman Hannibal, Oral Sex, Outdoor Sex, Sea Monsters, Sexual Tension, Soulmates, Telepathic Bond, Telepathic Sex, Telepathy, Tentacle Sex, Worldbuilding, is this, it's like a faster slow burn, mentions of mpreg, or - Freeform, wet humping? since they're in the water?, wtf do i even tag this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-14
Updated: 2017-08-18
Packaged: 2018-11-13 23:35:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 39,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11195817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hauntedsilences/pseuds/Yggdrastiles
Summary: There's a sea monster who's been threatening the small, coastal village of Wolf Trap. Will intends to find out the truth, and ends up finding out way more than he bargained for.And then Hanni's tentacles find Will's butt.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The title is supposed to be kind of a play off of "The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife" which is a lovely piece of artwork that Hannibal probably owns and displays somewhere, let's be honest. Maybe with his Samurai armor...   
> ANYWAY  
> Yeah, this is gonna be several chapters, not sure how many yet since these things tend to spiral out of control for me, so buckle up and get ready for the Hannigram Tentacle Sex Epic that no one asked for! :D
> 
> All mistakes are mine, please point out my typos, thank you ♥

The village of Wolf Trap was small and quaint, its villagers traditional and set in their ways. They would gather for market five days out of the week and there would be a village-wide celebration on the sixth day. Any excuse was a good enough reason for a party, and they were generally a group of well-meaning, jovial people in all respects except one. They didn’t much understand differences of appearance, demeanor, or opinion, it just wasn’t common enough for them to know how to deal with it. 

 

Enter Will Graham. 

 

Will Graham was the son of Old Man Graham, and the same stigma had applied to both of them. The fact that Mrs. Graham was long gone, and no one knew where to, was a huge source of gossip and disapproving titters. Often there was talk that “the little Graham boy” was surely going to turn out  _ funny  _ like his dad without a motherly influence in his life. And sure enough, Will’s lack of participation in social events and conventions only fueled everyone’s assumptions that there was just something not quite right with his head. 

 

When Old Man Graham passed away, he’d been very frail and hardly ever left his bed but to search for another bottle of whiskey. It was with little difficulty that Will Graham took on the role of the hermit fisherman that lived on the outskirts of town, by the rocky cliffsides. By adulthood, he was nearly a legend, only very rarely seen, and mothers would warn their children away from the dark woods that separated his cabin from the rest of the village. “He commands a pack of wolves.” They would tell wide-eyed children by the evening fireplaces. “He keeps wicked children in his cellar to feed to his wolves, and you can hear him howl at the moon when it’s full and high in the sky.” 

 

Will Graham never tried to discourage the rumors, it only helped to maintain the solace he found in isolation, where the crashing of waves against the cliffside would drown out his screams when he’d wake in the middle of the night. What might have tormented his soul, no one could guess. 

 

There was a steep, narrow path that cut into the jagged rocks and led down to a small gravel beach whose only feature of note was the weathered, creaky dock. The wood was crusted in salt and algae, which only contrasted with the fine fishing boat that was moored to it. It was a beautiful boat, the craftsmanship evident in every plane of its surface. It was well-maintained, with not a barnacle in sight. It was clear where Will Graham’s priorities lay. 

 

He only ever made it to the market for essentials that he was unable to make himself. He ate what he fished, caught from lures he’d tied himself. He tended a small vegetable garden that he’d harvest and then can his surplus for the harsher winter months, and kept a couple nanny goats for milk and cheese. They were short and stocky, just as resilient and weather-beaten as their owner. It was a good life, exactly to Will’s preferences. If he was given the opportunity to be able to change anything about his life, all he’d change would be the horrific figures that danced behind his eyelids at night. 

 

\---------------

 

There was a terrible storm that shook Will’s small cottage, whistling through the tiny cracks around doors and windows not completely sealed. A storm that sent waves crashing against the rocks at the base of the cliff hard enough to spray water all the way to the top. The window shutters rattled and tree branches scraped against the roof and the sides of the house like they were trying to claw their way inside. 

 

The storm sounded like voices crying out in the dead of night, moaning in terror. Will nursed his brandy by a flickering fireplace, only barely managing not to burn out. He couldn’t stand nights like this, when the wind sounded far too similar to the voices crying out in his mind. He stared unwaveringly at the flames, as if he could dispel the images by sheer concentration and force of will. It didn’t work, however, his subconscious morphing the tongues of flame into writhing, tormented bodies contorting in agony. If he listened carefully, he could almost hear their screams carried over the winds. 

 

Will sighed, downing the rest of his brandy. He scrubbed a hand down his face, scratching the stubble on his jaw as he contemplated the fire. He needed to try and get some rest. Tomorrow he’d go into town and see how bad the damage was, and if anyone needed help, not that his help would be appreciated or even accepted, really. But there were a select few that he worried about on occasion. Like Miss Katz, who lived with two other men and was generally shunned by polite society, not that she ever let it bother her. She always went out of her way to talk to Will, a kind of persistent friendship that Will found less of a nuisance with each passing encounter. 

 

It was late into the night, perhaps already the wee hours of the morning, but Will knew sleep would not come easy for him. He poured himself another glass of brandy and stoked the fire, settling himself in his armchair, fully prepared to pass out in this seemingly accidental way. It was nothing less than meticulous and premeditated, however. His bed would offer him no comfort that night, his best bet was the smooth petals of fire that danced before his eyes and lulled him to unconsciousness. 

 

\-----------

 

The next day the town was aflutter with a kind of solemn activity. There was a silent frenzy that hurried around Will, adjusted its course as it ebbed and flowed around him. He could feel their loss, their silent rage, thick enough to be palpable. He hadn’t realized that he’d stopped right outside Miss Katz’s house until she beckoned him inside with a waved hand. 

 

“Bev- what’s going on?” He asked her, once inside. 

 

She looked tired, like she hadn’t slept all night. Maybe the storm had kept her up, too. “There was another attack last night.” She explained gravely. 

 

Will struggled not to roll his eyes. There was never any evidence that accompanied these assumptions, just shipwrecks and disappearances. Ordinary accidents overlaid with an unhealthy amount of superstition. “Beverly...” 

 

“No, Will. It’s different this time.” She shook her head. “A body washed up on shore.” 

 

Will’s eyebrows rose. That was new. “Dead, I assume.” 

 

Beverly nodded. “And missing pieces.” She grimaced. “But the bites didn’t look like any shark bite I’ve ever seen. The bite radius seems to suggest a really small fish, actually. Or - “ She trailed off, looking at Will with trepidation as if she already knew the skepticism that would await her if she finished her conjecture. 

 

“Or what?” Will asked, already knowing the answer. 

 

“Will. They look like they came from a human mouth. Albeit one with sharper teeth, but the pattern’s the same, Will. I saw them myself.” 

 

Will pursed his lips and looked away. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Beverly, it was just that well, they didn’t live in that kind of world, did they? One littered with supernatural creatures and monsters of the deep. “Bev - “ 

 

“No, that’s not all, Will. Listen. The body, what was left of it, was littered with bruises. But not just any kind, Will. You know a couple months ago when one of the kids got caught by an octopus by the tide pools? Remember the bruises he wore for weeks?” 

 

“Yeah...” Will frowned, not liking where this was going. 

 

“It was the same pattern, Will. It’s a distinctive pattern, rows of bruises just like the octopus ones, but Will, they were so much bigger. At least twice the size if not bigger.” She shook her head. “You know what all the sailors are going to say...” 

 

Will scowled, he could testify firsthand that the last thing Wolf Trap needed was more superstition. “We are not plagued by sirens.” He insisted. “Or merfolk, or whatever other mythical creature these excitable fanatics have dreamed up.”

 

Beverly sighed and shook her head with disappointment. “Look, Will, I’m not saying they’re right. All I’m saying is that there’s more to this. Something is going on and I don’t feel comfortable not knowing what it is. Do you?” 

 

Will covered his eyes with one hand while the other rested on his hip. He exhaled slowly, trying to draw from patience he really didn’t have. “Look. You may be right that something’s going on, but we really don’t need the village stirred up into a frenzy, okay?”

 

Beverly nodded. “What are you going to do, then?” 

 

“I’ll sail out past the bay tonight. It’s a full moon, so I’ll be able to see if there’s anything lurking beneath the waves.” Will said, scratching his beard thoughtfully.

 

Beverly didn’t look like she liked the idea. After all, it would be very dangerous should it turn out that there were supernatural causes for the deaths and disappearances. However, she didn’t say anything, just smiled sadly and nodded, warning Will to be careful. He insisted that he would be and left it at that. 

 

That night, Will carefully made his way down the staircase carved into the side of the cliff, lantern held aloft to light his path. The frigid ocean spray chilled him where it sprayed against his hands and face, and the slight breeze that caught the waves sliced like needles against his damp skin. 

 

He untied the thick ropes that moored his fishing boat to the dock with numb fingers, the lantern flickering by his feet as he worked. Will had always liked sailing at night, there was something distinctly otherworldly about being on the water at night. Perhaps it was the way the moonlight danced on the surface of the water. Or maybe it was the way the sea looked dark and fathomless beneath him. On darker nights, there was almost no way to distinguish between the sea and the sky. It was like flying, soaring through nothing.

 

Usually when Will sailed, he lost himself to the feel of the wind in his hair, the mist on his face, his mind on autopilot as he went through the motions of sailing or fishing. However, in this case he forced himself to remain grounded in the moment, so to speak, in order to investigate the other fishermen’s claims. 

 

Will didn’t often sail past the bay, large as it was, but he also was no stranger to the open ocean. He rounded the edge of the coast, now completely out of the bay. The best fishing lay to the south but it was in an area guarded by a harsh, jutting cluster of rocks that cut the sea like rows of teeth, their wet surfaces glistening, and in the darkness, Will could almost imagine that they were coated in the blood of sailors shipwrecked in their maw. Will was almost positive that if there was a sea monster at all, this is where it would make it’s lair. 

 

The rocks were hard enough to navigate during the day, but to do so at night was nearly impossible. Not that Will had ever much cared for the odds. The other fishermen...they were afraid of the sea. Treated the ocean with respect, yes, but ultimately stayed where it was relatively safe. They had families, wives to return to, and all feared the risk of not returning, of being lost at sea. The bodies washing up on shore only made the tension worse, their fear a palpable thing, and every morning when they sailed out, it was a solemn affair, the sounds of their departure not unlike a funeral dirge. 

 

Will’s mortality was of little consequence to him. He encountered death whenever he shut his eyes, his own if he was lucky, but more often than not, his hands dripped with the blood of others. 

 

An oddly shaped shadow danced beneath the waves and caught Will’s attention. He couldn’t tell if it was truly a creature lurking beneath the murky depths, or if it was merely his eyes playing tricks on him. Perhaps if one ventured forth in search of monsters, monsters would find them one way or another. 

 

Will scanned the waves with narrow-eyed determination, focusing on every crest or ripple of the water to see if the shape reemerged, but he couldn’t see anything-

 

CRASH! 

 

The boat tipped dramatically to the side, hull scraping with a loud groan of protest as it rammed against a rock mostly hidden by the water. Will cursed under his breath, springing into action to try and navigate the boat away from further obstructions. 

 

He had to be careful not to overcorrect and fling himself into a different set of rocks, but it seemed like as soon as he’d clear the rocks he was stuck on, a new wave would crest and push him onto them even further. 

 

Will worked on autopilot, sailing so ingrained in him that it scarcely required him to think about an action before he was doing it. It was nothing less than a stroke of luck that released him, a breeze that caught his sail at the precise right angle to push him forward and away, into clearer waters. The hull was leaking, though, Will could hear the water sloshing around below deck and a glance confirmed it. He swore again, running a hand through sea sprayed curls. 

 

There was a cave like a long narrow gash in the cliffside that promised temporary shelter while Will patched the boat as well he could so he could make a return trip home. It was high tide and the cave was large enough as it was, so Will was confident that he would not be inadvertently trapped in a watery prison while the tides changed. 

 

Having passed the ring of rocks, it was smooth sailing, just a gentle back and forth of the waves to gently guide him to the mouth of the grotto. It was dark inside the cave, as Will ought to have expected, but it became immediately clear that even with his lantern, he would have a very difficult time seeing well enough to patch his boat effectively. 

 

He held his lantern high, the light bobbing and dancing around the walls of the cavern. It was much bigger on the inside than it had appeared to be from the outside, and Will found an outcropping that looked like a decent place to moor his boat. There were stalagmites that rose from the ledge and as Will disembarked, he tied a rope around one securely.

 

He had supplies below deck that he dragged up to the top and stacked on the ledge, making the boat as light as possible to make it easier to repair. He had to see how bad the damage was, but the fact that it had stayed afloat so far was a good sign. 

 

Will sighed and rolled up his sleeves, wading through ankle-deep water and holding his lantern high. It wasn’t hard to find the leak - a splintered board near where the hull began to curve inwards. Will pressed against the sodden wood tentatively, pleased that it hadn’t ripped off completely. It wouldn’t be an easy fix in the dark, but it could have been much, much worse. 

 

Will needed to staunch the flow long enough to be able to spread pitch along the inside without getting it everywhere. Will wracked his brain for ideas, running a hand through his hair in irritation. The best way would probably be to swim beside the leak and press a piece of oiled canvas to the breach and the suction would keep it in place for a little while - hopefully long enough for Will to resurface, board the boat, and patch the leak. 

 

Mind made up, Will clambered back onto the ledge and started stripping down. He’d rather not have to endure sopping wet clothing in addition to the frigid waters. As it was, h e’d have to be quick so as not to succumb to hypothermia. The ocean wasn’t as cold as it would be later in the year, but it was still cold enough to kill if he was in it for too long. Will grimaced as he stared down at the water, his toes curling against the cold, wet stone. He’d already cut a length of canvas for the job and he gripped it in one hand, fingers tightening painfully - he really, really was not looking forward to this. Before he could think about it any longer and convince himself not to go through with it, Will took a deep breath and jumped close to where the leak was. He wouldn’t be able to see much underwater, but if he followed the length of the boat, the suction of the leak would guide him where he needed to be. 

 

Will had been expecting the cold but it was still a shock, his muscles spasming in protest. Will grit his teeth, already feeling his feet going numb. He ran his free hand over the hull, trying not to panic when he felt nothing at first, and forcing himself to slow down and feel along the wood planks for the breach. It was supposed to be a quick trip in and out of the water, but his lungs were starting to ache and his fingertips were losing sensation. Just as Will was about to give up and resurface, his leg was sucked against the side of the boat as he passed through the current of water. Relieved, Will worked quickly, spreading the canvas as best as he could until he couldn’t feel any streams of water. 

 

Satisfied, Will resurfaced quickly, but in his haste to get to the surface and fill constricted lungs with fresh air, he miscalculated and ended up colliding with an overhanging bit of rock. Will managed a feeble breath before his vision swam and unconsciousness overtook him. 

 

\---------

 

Will woke suddenly, disoriented and confused. His head was throbbing painfully and as he sat up he felt a wave of nausea overtake him. He only barely managed not to vomit, but it was a close thing as dry heaves wracked his body. 

 

Will looked around himself and found that he was in a cave, but not the same one where he’d left his boat. Also, he was wrapped in furs - seal pelts from the look and smell of them - and laid near a fire. Will removed the furs to check his limbs, but there were no signs of frostbite or other injury. He could move his fingers and toes as usual and it seemed that aside from his head, which he was certain was concussed, he was relatively unharmed. 

 

The question, of course, was how? 

 

It was obvious that someone had saved him, dragged him from the water and warmed him up, but who? 

 

As the disorientation abated, Will turned and twisted to look at the cave around him. He could see places where tunnels led off into different areas, areas that were lit not by torch or lantern, but what looked to be bioluminescent moss and lichen. Will supposed it would look much more impressive if the campfire was put out. 

 

Still, it was clear someone lived here, the floor was polished and as smooth as glass, and there were shelves dug into the walls that held polished clay pots, wooden boxes, and what looked like bits of reconstructed fish skeletons. 

 

As he took in the unusual surroundings, Will was struck with the strangest feeling of kinship. Whoever lived here was clearly as much of a recluse as Will was, and he couldn’t help but wonder if that was by design or circumstance. Nevertheless, Will was grateful to his unknown benefactor. He owed them his life. 

 

Will laid back down against the nest of seal pelts and closed his eyes as he stretched out sore muscles, his joints popping alarmingly. The warmth was soothing and Will felt himself growing drowsy. It wouldn’t hurt to sleep a little, surely? And if he was being a nuisance, he was sure his host would wake him and let him know. The fact that he wasn’t being hovered over as he slept made Will think that perhaps he was not being too much of an inconvenience. With that thought, Will slipped back into unconsciousness. 

 

He was awoken some time later by the smell of food. 

 

Will blinked blearily, staring at the man that was hovering over the fire with a spatula and a frying pan filled with what Will could only assume was fried fish, going by the smell alone. The man was bare-chested, with muscles that were well-defined, but not bulky. Sandy blonde hair fell into his face and obscured his eyes from Will’s. The way he sat seemed strange to Will, however. It was like he was kneeling, but with a dark blanket in his lap? But no matter how he shifted, the strange covering stayed in place. 

 

“I trust you slept well?” The man asked, turning to Will and Will was taken aback by the sharpness of his features. The way the fire cast shadows along his eyes and cheekbones made him seem otherworldly and ethereal. 

 

“Y-yes. Thank you.” Will said after a brief hesitation. “And thanks for, y’know, saving me.” 

 

The man tilted his head in acknowledgement and his lips tilted ever so slightly into a smile. “Are you hungry?” He asked. 

 

“Starving.” Will admitted, pleased to note that his nausea had abated. 

 

“It has been some time that I have not had company to entertain, but I am confident that my ability to serve a quality meal has not waned.” He said conversationally, and it made Will wonder even more why this man was alone. Clearly he was well-versed in social etiquettes, so his solitude must be self-inflicted then, rather than social exclusion forced on him by his peers. 

 

“I’m not really hard to impress.” Will admitted with a rueful grin. “The meals I make myself are utilitarian at best.” 

 

The man hummed thoughtfully. “Have you no wife to cook for you?” He asked in a voice that seemed casual, but Will thought he could detect an undercurrent of something...odd. 

 

“No...” Will said. “I’m...not exactly stable enough for that.” He admitted, wondering to himself what was it that made him so candid with what amounted to a total stranger. 

 

“I see.” His host said simply, with an air of pleased satisfaction that Will tried not to analyze too deeply in case he was reading him wrong. The man set the frying pan aside and Will heard the tinkle of china plates as the food was plated. 

 

A movement caught Will’s eye and he turned to look, mouth hanging slack as his mind struggled to interpret what he was seeing. He propped himself up on his elbows to get a better look, not that it made any more sense from that angle. It wasn’t a blanket that was draped over the man’s lap...no, it was...what was it? Logically, Will knew the writhing appendages were tentacles, but his mind struggled to process how it was that they were attached to his host’s body. 

 

The line where human flesh met the slick, rubbery limbs was a smooth transition, one that didn’t make any sense. Will couldn’t tell how many limbs there were, but they were long, starting about as thick as Will’s thighs at the top and tapering off. He could only see some of the tips, but they weren’t uniform, some were thinner and seemed to possess the same or more dexterity as human fingers, while others were a little more blunt. 

 

“I believe that staring is considered rude by your species as well as mine.” His host addressed him pointedly and Will dropped his eyes immediately. 

 

“Sorry. Sorry, I’ve just never - “ 

 

“No, I don’t imagine you have.” 

 

Will nodded awkwardly, still not looking at him, and fidgeted with his seal pelts. A plate appeared in his periphery and Will took it carefully. “Thank you.” He said tentatively. The plate was a fine china, if a bit outdated. It looked more like an antique than something someone would actually ever eat out of. That, along with the polished silverware handed to him seemed a bit incongruous, given that he was eating inside a cave, naked and clothed in furs. 

 

“You’re most welcome.” And then after a moment. “You may look at me, if you can refrain from gawking.” 

 

Will almost felt like it was a trap, but he supposed that avoiding eye contact was usually considered rude, too. Not that it ever stopped him in the past. He raised his eyes carefully, making sure to focus on his eyes and face only. 

 

“Ah. I’ve been remiss!” The man (to call him a man seemed strange, yet no other word seemed to be adequate to encapsulate the whole of him) exclaimed. “I have failed to introduce myself. My name is Hannibal Lecter.” 

 

An odd name for an odd creature, Will supposed. “Will Graham.” He supplied, taking a bite of the fish and finding it soft and flaky and absolutely perfect. He moaned his appreciation softly, “Oh god, I haven’t had fried fish this good since I was a little boy and my mom was still around.” He lamented. 

 

“I’m glad it meets with your approval.” Hannibal smiled. “I apologize for not having more to offer you at the moment. I’m afraid my diet doesn’t call for traditional human cuisine, and thus there was very little I had in stock that would align with your own dietary needs.” 

 

Will waved him off, “No, it’s delicious, honestly. Probably the best meal I’ve had in years.” 

 

“Yes, well.” Hannibal acknowledged, straightening in a way that looked like he was preening. The image was a little amusing to Will. “Food is one of the universal pleasures shared by all living things. Poor dining experiences are to be avoided at all costs.” 

 

Will nodded, he could agree to a certain extent. For him, a poor dining experience had less to do with the quality of food than it did who he was sharing the meal with. In this case, he had no complaints. What he did have, however, were questions. More than he could even articulate properly. 

 

“So uh...how long have you lived here?” Will asked somewhat awkwardly. It was, however, the least intrusive question that came to mind. 

 

Hannibal looked at him curiously, but seemed to decide to humor him. “A great many years.” He admitted. “My kind...we follow the currents and our instincts guide us towards our mating grounds.” 

 

If Will was full of questions before, Hannibal’s answer only seemed to grow his questions exponentially. “Your kind...what do you call yourselves?” He asked. 

 

Hannibal considered this for a moment, settling down into his mass of tentacles as if preparing for a long conversation. “It is not something that can be translated into any human language.” He made a strange, high, trilling noise that was beautiful but also sent shivers down Will’s spine. 

 

“Is that...?”

 

“Yes.” Hannibal replied. “I believe humans have likened us to merfolk, but there are a great many biological and sociological differences.” Hannibal explained.

 

Will nodded slowly, “Okay, so uh. What do you eat? You said your diet was different from a human’s.” He asked, ignoring for the time being that apparently merfolk were also a thing. He’d have time later to wonder what other mythical creatures could be lurking right at humankind’s collective peripheral vision.

 

Hannibal smirked as if sharing a private joke with himself. “We are carnivores, and we consume our prey raw. We are...the ocean’s deadliest predators. More so than sharks or even the great squids that live in the deep.” 

 

Will would be lying if he said that the prospect of eating raw meat was unappetizing at best, but he supposed that one could not fault nature. Perhaps there was one point where ancient humans did the same. He couldn’t say. However, there was something about the way he spoke that raised goosebumps along Will’s skin. Then, something slotted into place and Will nearly kicked himself for having been so dense. 

 

“Oh my god. The sailors were telling the truth.” Will’s eyes grew wide. 

 

Hannibal’s eyes seemed to darken and his lips split open in a sinister smile that revealed razor-sharp teeth. Will wondered why the sight didn’t frighten him the way it ought to. 

 

“Yes, I don’t appreciate intruders, I’m sure you can relate, Will. Would you tolerate boorish fishermen barging into your home, trampling your gardens, and scattering your livestock? I think not.” 

 

Will shook his head. “No, but Hannibal...you ate them! You ate them...” He repeated, blood going cold as he realized just how vulnerable he was here. Exposed in the most literal sense. 

 

“I did. But believe me, Will. I found about as much pleasure from it as they did, I’m sure. They were always so saturated with alcohol, it made it difficult to finish a meal. I assume by the horror on your face that their remains must have washed up on your shores. I apologise, that is truly a regrettable waste, but I suppose not even the other ocean scavengers would have their fatty, bitter bodies.” He sneered at the memory. 

 

Will felt a little ill, his mind readily conjuring up images of Hannibal bent over a body clutched tightly in his tentacles, mouth crimson with blood. “Oh god...that’s so...that’s so  _ wrong _ .” He protested. “How could you...they’re  _ people _ ...” He muttered, almost to himself.

 

“Oh my dear, Will.” Hannibal chided him softly, “It’s only cannibalism if we’re equals.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just some general cuteness as well as world and relationship building - enjoy!!   
> Every day is one step closer to the porn ;)  
> Gotta make y'all REALLY want it as much as these two losers haha ♥

Will stayed away from the cove as much as possible. 

Sure, Hannibal had been nice enough, if a little put-out when Will had requested to be brought back to his boat, but he’d taken him back without a struggle, leading him back through the fungus-lit caverns which were magical in their own right. Will supposed that from what little he knew of Hannibal, the man wouldn’t have settled for a home that was anything less than spectacular. 

When they’d made it back to the boat, Will noticed that the leak had been patched by some grey substance Will wasn’t familiar with. It was a somewhat spongy texture, but seemed to be watertight enough. He figured Hannibal must have had something to do with it, and the smug look on his face seemed to confirm it. 

As Will had said his goodbyes, he could have sworn that Hannibal was pouting. There was no other word for it. He implored Will to come back and visit and Will had made a noncommittal sound which he’d immediately regretted when he saw the way Hannibal’s face fell. 

“I’ll...I’ll think about it, okay? It’s...a lot to take in.” He’d said and Hannibal had nodded, a tiny bit appeased, but still looking like someone had dropped his favorite china plate. 

Will hadn’t been back. 

It was well over a week now since he’d last seen Hannibal. 

Beverly had asked him what had happened when he returned. Apparently he’d been gone almost an entire day. He didn’t mention Hannibal, simply told her that he’d had to make some repairs and they’d taken far longer than he’d anticipated, but that he hadn’t seen anything unusual. Will hated lying to her, and in that moment he wasn’t even sure why he’d done it. If he couldn’t trust Beverly, who could he trust? 

Perhaps he didn’t think she’d believe him. Hell, Will wouldn’t have believed it if he hadn’t seen it with his own two eyes. Still, he’d gone home that night, gotten blackout drunk and slept his hangover off the next day. He had things to do, chores to attend to, but he needed time to process everything. As it was, with every passing day, Will wasn’t sure he hadn’t just dreamed him up. What if it was just another projection of his subconscious? What if the stories Bev had told him had created this...this...delusion? 

Will hated himself with how dejected and almost discouraged Beverly seemed at his report. It was clear that she had hoped he’d found the answer to what was plaguing the town. She’d never been a woman that liked mystery, and was most comfortable when there were reasonable explanations for events, preferably something that she was able to observe physically and witness herself. 

Will didn’t fish for some time after that. He stayed off the water with the excuse that he was making proper repairs to his boat, which was at least half true. But the full truth was that he was dragging it out intentionally. He decided that the next time he went out, he’d stay inside the bay where the others fished. He wouldn’t venture beyond...what if Hannibal swam the open ocean frequently? It was entirely possible, even to be expected. No, it was too risky. 

Will’s dreams had changed, as well. There were still screams of terror, gut-wrenching sights and smells...but with a new feeling of longing tinging each image that his mind conjured up. Will told himself that somehow he’d gotten his wires crossed, perhaps. Maybe he himself was longing for a time when things were simpler, before he knew about the existence of the supernatural world. 

He was often kept awake at night wondering about other supernatural entities. We're there vampires, then? Werewolves? Nymphs and forest gods? Will wasn't sure he truly desired an answer. 

When he finally did venture out into the open water, it was on a sixth day, a day that all the village boats were docked. Will wanted to be alone, undisturbed by other fishermen since he’d be staying in safe waters today. 

The bay waters were calm, and the sky was clear. It was a beautiful day, and the sea shone like polished apatite, sparkling on the surface as the light caught it. Will relaxed, choosing not to cast a net today, but to sit with a fishing pole and do this the way he preferred. Selecting and affixing a lure to his line, and then casting it in one fluid movement. 

It was a slow, peaceful morning, and Will admitted he’d started to doze off a little, lulled by the sun warming him, the sea spray cooling him, and the waves rocking him gently back and forth. It was then that a loud splashing sound, followed by a thunk, jolted him from his rest. 

Will looked around himself and found that a fish, a large sea bass, had flopped on deck. Will stared at it, bewildered, and watched it flop around desperately. He set his pole down and grabbed the fish, placing it with the other two smaller fish he’d caught earlier that morning. He wondered how the fish had managed to jump all the way on deck, but before he could truly analyze it further, another fish landed, and another. 

Frowning, Will leaned over the starboard side of his boat, looking into the ocean, but couldn’t see anything. A fish landed behind him and he spun around, hurrying to the port side to look over the railing. Still nothing. Another fish landed behind him. His deck now had four fish lying there in the sun and Will sighed, collecting them with the others. 

It was...taunting. Whimsical almost, the way that the fish were jumping to him, and suddenly Will had a very clear picture of where they were coming from. 

“Hannibal?” He called to the ocean, feeling a little silly as he did so. Could Hannibal even hear surface sounds while underwater? Will had no idea.

“Hannibal!” He called a little louder. Just as he was about to give up and go back to his fishing, a single tentacle emerged from beneath his boat and flicked water at his face. 

Sputtering and more indignant than anything, Will turned away from the edge...only to see an alarmingly large wave come out of seemingly nowhere to splash and drench him entirely. Hannibal was an utter child. 

Will sighed, shaking his head and stripping out of his shirt, shoes, and pants to try and wring as much water out of them. They’d be uncomfortable once they dried, so saturated with sea salt. Will shuddered to think how his boxers would feel and decided he’d rather start heading back home. He had, after all, managed one way or another, to catch a total of seven fish, most of which were quite large. Not too bad, and Will didn’t feel poorly about cutting his trip short, even if it was due to a particularly obnoxious sea creature.

“You’re kind of an asshole.” Will muttered, turning to the ladder that led below deck. 

“Well that’s hardly polite, after all the fish I gave you.” 

Will startled, but the expression on his face when he turned around was mostly just resigned. “Hannibal.” He greeted. 

“Hello, Will.” Hannibal had crawled onto the boat and was now reclining, tentacles partially outstretched, as he seemed to just...sunbathe. Will decided he looked like a rather large housecat taking advantage of a beam of sunlight. 

“Won’t you...dry out?” Will asked, eyeing his tentacles warily. 

Hannibal looked less than impressed. “You don’t question my ability to command the ocean and create waves from nothing, but somehow an invulnerability to xerosis is beyond the realm of the believable?”

Well. When he put it like that.

Will shrugged, “How am I supposed to know?” He asked dismissively, an answer that had Hannibal’s lips curling into a pout. Will hated how he couldn’t help but stare at them. 

“You haven’t returned.” Hannibal said, stating the obvious. If it weren’t coming from someone who physically resembled a middle-aged man, Will would have said he was whining.

“I’ve been busy.”

“You’ve been avoiding me.” Hannibal sighed. The tips of some of his tentacles seemed to wriggle mournfully. 

Sensing that this may turn into a longer conversation than he bargained for, Will reeled in his line, put aside his fishing rod and took a seat. 

“I wasn’t sure I hadn’t just dreamed it all up.” Will said once he’d gotten comfortable, the sun warming his shoulders pleasantly. 

“And now? Do you believe yourself to be dreaming?” 

“I don’t know. Maybe? I guess if I wake up, I’ll have my answer.” Will shrugged. “In the meantime, I’d like some answers.” 

Hannibal tilted his head, reclining back onto his forearms. Will tried not to stare, but there were water drops along the planes of his skin that caught the light like tiny diamonds, so that the droplets in his chest hair made it seem like the mantle of a king. An otherworldly, ethereal king, or an eldritch god, perhaps. 

“Who are you?” Will wondered aloud. 

Hannibal visibly preened under the attention, somehow managing to look regal instead of ridiculous. “You know my name. The question you are looking for is, what am I?” He countered. “The answer to which is complicated and multi-faceted. I am born of the sea, to the sea, for the sea.”

“Do you protect it?” Will asked, catching on to the last bit. 

“As much as a wolf would protect it’s territory. From those that would take it.” 

“You have magic.” Will stated. 

“Of sorts.” Hannibal agreed. 

“What else can you do?” Will asked. 

“Am I not impressive in my own right with the wonders you have already seen?” He countered, almost defensively. 

“No, you are.” Will assured him. “I just want to understand you better.” 

“And you will, in time. There is much to my magic that you need not know now. But soon, you will.” 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“My dear Will, I cannot divulge all my secrets to you at once. You would grow bored with me, disinterested.” 

Will couldn’t imagine ever losing the feeling of awe that overcame him when he looked at Hannibal, but perhaps he was right to keep his secrets. 

“How long are your, uh, tentacles?” Will asked, changing the subject, and then immediately blushing when he realized how the question could be construed. 

Hannibal smirked knowingly, but said nothing, instead obliging him by stretching one limb out the length of his boat, and then slipping into the water on the other side. Will’s eyes widened in shock before Hannibal retracted it. 

“They can shift in length and diameter, depending on what I need them for. Hannibal explained, drawing it back closer to himself to demonstrate. As it drew closer to his body and shortened in length, it grew in girth. 

“The mass remains constant, I am just able to distribute it as necessary.” Hannibal showed him, flexing it back and forth to show the difference. 

Will nodded, that made sense. Well, not really, but at least it seemed like a believable kind of magic. 

“How many are there?” He asked, wondering if it was a rude thing to ask. 

Hannibal hummed in thought, sitting up and looking around himself, shifting his tentacles back and forth as if counting them. It seemed an impossible task with the way they seemed to shift and undulate as if they had a mind of their own. 

“Difficult to know.” He said. “More are grown as we age, and sometimes we may lose some in a fight or confrontation, so the exact number is hard to quantify. I believe I have somewhere between two and three dozen of varying stages of growth.” He explained. 

“Wow...” Will marvelled softly. “How...how long does your kind live?” He asked quietly, almost tentatively. 

“Eons, Will.” He smiled, close-lipped. “We age similarly to humans until our equivalency of puberty in which we leave ancestral waters to find and bond with our mates. Then...well, let’s just say that the first of my kind still live somewhere deep beneath the ocean. The older we age, the harder we are to kill. I am...considered quite young for my species, yet I have lived for centuries.” 

Will couldn’t help but be amazed by this. It was unreal to think of a single being that could live for so long. “Does it ever...get boring?” He asked, “Being alive for so long?” 

Hannibal hummed thoughtfully. “Not as such, no. Truthfully, I hibernated for many many years as I waited for my mate. Sometimes fate is unkind and one must wait until their birth makes seeking them out a possibility. But even during the times I was lucid, there are a great many wonders that this world has to offer. Enough not to grow bored, as you say.” 

Will nodded, “So do the females of your species look the same?” 

A small, secretive smile curled Hannibal’s lips, and a twinkle in his eyes belied more hidden truths he would not yet reveal in their entirety. “Our reproductive habits are...much different from that of humans. I’m afraid it is much too soon for such a conversation.” 

Will blushed. “Right. Sorry.” He apologized, quickly backtracking from what he hadn’t realized what something of a taboo subject. In his embarrassment, he forgot he had meant to ask why, if Hannibal had found his mate, Will had never seen them. 

“It’s quite alright, Will. It is just that there is a time and a place for everything, and I’m afraid this is neither the time nor the place.” He said. 

“No, no, it’s fine.” Will assured him. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

“You were simply curious. I know. Please, do not feel put out on my account. You have done nothing wrong, truly.” 

“Okay...” Will said with some skepticism. 

“Here, allow me to diffuse this tension.” Hannibal said, raising a hand dramatically, and bringing a small orb of seawater out of the ocean to float just above his palm. “Perhaps you can divine the shape I create for you?” He suggested, and the orb shifted, forming a tiny model of a fish in his hand. 

Will wanted to blurt out that it was a fish, but he realized Hannibal probably wanted him to identify the kind of fish. 

“That’s a mackerel.” 

“Very good, Will. Another, perhaps.” 

This one was a little more challenging but Will gave it his best guess. 

 

“Cod?”

“Excellent, yes. And this one?” 

“...Tuna?” He guessed. 

“Unfortunately not, Will. This one was an albacore.” 

“Ahh, yeah, you’re right. Damn, I should have known that.” 

The sun was dipping below the horizon when they finally grew tired of their game, Will realizing that he couldn’t remember the last time he’d honestly enjoyed himself so much, and Hannibal seemed pleased to be able to show off a bit. 

“I believe it is time for you to return to your world and me to mine.” Hannibal announced when he saw Will looking towards the shore, speaking quickly as if determined to be the one to make the suggestion. 

“Alright. That was fun, though. I enjoyed talking to you, Hannibal.” Will said, honestly. 

“And I you, dear Will.” Hannibal smiled. “Perhaps next time you will not avoid me?” He teased. 

Will blushed faintly, the only testament to the shame he felt having done just that. When had he started to care? Or feel shame for that matter? 

“I won’t.” Will promised. And it wasn’t a lie this time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a tease. A terrible, terrible tease.   
> And I'm not sorry.   
> But also please don't hurt me. ♥

“You must allow me to cook for you again, Will.” Hannibal said as he reclined on Will’s boat one evening, Will loosing the sails to allow them to catch the wind that would take them back to shore. 

Will had gone back to his usual fishing schedule, venturing out past the bay now like he had done before meeting Hannibal. It was never long before he saw a dark figure swimming alongside his boat, deep beneath the waves. More than once, when the winds were faint, he could have sworn that Hannibal moved the waves along for him, pushing him along an invisible current. 

 

“Alright.” Will agreed easily. “Should I bring something?” He asked, almost as an afterthought, like the remnants of etiquette he had picked up on in his youth and then afterwards disregarded entirely. 

 

Hannibal seemed to consider this. “While not required for my own dietary purposes, I am able to metabolize human cuisine perfectly well. You may bring anything you desire, and I will be honored to include it in our meal.” 

 

Will snorted out a laugh. “So all that about ‘I am the apex predator and eat you puny humans as snacks’ was all dramatics, then? Are you even really purely a carnivore?” He challenged. 

 

Hannibal glared at Will, wholly unimpressed. “I assure you, Will, I sustain myself wholly through meat. Anything other than animal protein is simply...empty calories.” 

 

“So...your equivalent of junk food then.” Will couldn’t help but tease. Hannibal didn’t dignify that with a response. 

 

Will realized that he had grown  _ accustomed  _ to Hannibal’s presence, much in the same way he had with Beverly’s. So much so that he had even begun to look for things that might please Hannibal to add to his collection as Will scoured the forest looking for materials for his fishing lures. 

 

He brought Hannibal a geode once, cracked open to reveal it’s glittering interior and Hannibal looked almost as if he wanted to cry as he cradled both halves of the rock in his hands as delicately as if it was a porcelain teacup. After that, Will made sure to always bring him something.Things like a brightly-colored ceramic bowl he’d found at market, a poorly-whittled stag figure he’d made one night that seemed to have feathers in place of fur, and the oddly deformed skull of a fish he’d caught. Hannibal always thanked him genuinely for each one, often ducking beneath the waves to swim quickly home and deposit his newest treasure before rejoining Will. 

 

Will also found that not only was Hannibal an excellent listener, but that he seemed to possess a quality that made Will actually  _ want  _ to talk to him. They easily could spend hours on end talking about philosophy, mythology, and their respectively different cultures, but Will found that perhaps he could find a confidante in Hannibal. Someone he could truly share his thoughts with. 

 

“You seem pensive, Will.” Hannibal broke his train of thought. 

 

Will nodded. “Sorry, I was thinking about how this,” he gestured between them, “feels more natural than I would expect.” 

 

This seemed to amuse Hannibal. “Because I am not human, or because of your own reticence to allow others close to you?” 

 

“Both, I guess.” Will admitted. “It’s like you’ve wiggled your way into my life and there’s no getting rid of you.” He smirked. 

 

Hannibal scoffed. “Excuse me, Will. I do not  _ wiggle _ . I  _ writhe _ .” Several tips of his tentacles seemed to disagree, however. The lazy twitching to and fro was definitely a wiggle. 

 

“Sure.” Will dismissed. 

 

“Shall I expect you tomorrow night?” Hannibal asked, changing the subject. 

 

“Yeah, but you might have to meet me at the entrance to the cavern, though. I don’t think I remember all the twists and turns back to your dining room.” 

 

“Darling Will. You have never seen my dining room. The room you woke in was more of a display room for various artifacts I’ve collected over the years.” Hannibal pointed out.

 

Will raised an eyebrow. “You put me in storage.” 

 

“I had no choice. You were succumbing to hypothermia and that was one of the only rooms in which I could safely light a fire.” 

 

Will frowned in confusion. “How’s that?” 

 

Hannibal sighed, “The various species of moss and fungus that line the caverns and provide me light require a delicately maintained ecosystem. A sudden change in heat or air quality could harm them irreversibly. I may have magic, Will, but I am no druid.” 

 

“There are druids, too?” Will asked. Hannibal had not been very forthcoming on other kinds of mythical creatures existed in the world, and Will secretly thought it was because Hannibal was worried that Will might find them more interesting than himself.

 

The look that Hannibal shot him seemed to confirm it. “Was that the only thing you took away from that, Will?” 

 

“No, of course not. Glowing mushrooms are cool too, don’t worry.” Will said placatingly. Then, remembering something, he asked, “Hey, do you have a pool with any of that kind of algae that glows? I’ve heard people speak of it, but I’ve never seen it myself.” 

 

Hannibal nodded, pleased at the opportunity to accommodate one of Will’s desires. “As a matter of fact, yes. I do.” He confirmed. “As you know, I am able to survive perfectly well out of water fairly indefinitely. However, I have a number of pools, both shallow and deep that I enjoy using recreationally. They are quite beautiful to look at and swim within.” 

 

Will’s eyes lit up eagerly. He wondered if Hannibal would mind if he swam in them too. Probably not. “That sounds amazing.” Will agreed and Hannibal nodded. 

 

That night, when Will sailed home, Hannibal stayed on board until they reached the little dock that Will used to moor his fishing boat. 

 

“Gonna stay there all night?” Will asked and Hannibal shook his head. 

 

“No. I was merely curious to see where you lived. After all, you have already seen my home, and I was curious about yours.” 

 

Will took a step back to look up the cliffside from Hannibal’s perspective. He could just about see the top half of his house from this angle, and it reminded him of a lighthouse, shining out from the side of the cliff. Peaceful. A place of refuge and strength. 

 

“Can’t see it very well from here.” Will said. 

 

“Not really, no.” Hannibal agreed. “Perhaps one day I shall venture inside.” 

 

Will scratched at his beard in thought. “I’ll have to find a way to make the path a little smoother.” He mused. “I don’t know how delicate your uh, tentacles are, but I personally wouldn’t walk up those stairs barefoot unless I wanted to have bleeding soles.” 

 

A corner of Hannibal’s lips turned up ever so slightly. “I thank you for your consideration, Will. My skin is stronger than it looks, but I would appreciate the effort nonetheless.” 

 

Will nodded, disembarking from the boat. “Alright, well once I get that done, I’ll invite you over for dinner at my place if you’d like.” He offered tentatively. 

 

“Oh Will, I would be delighted.” Hannibal smiled. “Tonight has been pleasant, and I look forward to your presence at my table tomorrow.” 

 

“Until tomorrow.” Will nodded. “Goodnight, Hannibal.” 

 

“Goodnight, Will.” 

 

Will watched as Hannibal gracefully raised himself up to perch on the side of the boat and then dove into the water gracefully. Will could, only for a moment, make out the way his tentacles fanned out and then contracted beneath the waves to propel him forward. Will marvelled at just how large he was when fully expanded, it made perfect sense how, even with the upper body of a man, Hannibal was clearly the king of the ocean. Or at least, his species was. 

 

When Will fell asleep that night, one of the rare times he actually made it to his bed, he dreamed of sirens, luring sailors to their deaths. He dreamed of their sharp teeth rending flesh and grinning around chunks of gore and viscera. He dreamed of fish scales that simmered irridescent in the sunlight, even while covered in blood. They were deadly, they were monstrous, but most of all, they were beautiful. 

 

\------------------

Will didn’t quite remember his dream when he woke, but was left with a strange longing deep in his chest that he couldn’t explain. The day passed slowly as he waited for night to come. It was not a day he usually fished, and instead he spent the time doing chores and maintenance work. One of the goat fences had fallen into disrepair and so Will spent a couple hours on that, and then a few more on the roof, fixing a leak. 

 

Will tended to his garden, pulling weeds and picking vegetables that were ripe for harvest. It was likely the second to last harvest of the year. The corn was nearly ripe, and the pumpkins would only be another week or so. There were a few gourds and squashes that were plump and ready to be plucked from the vine, and Will did so, filling a small wheelbarrow with his quarry and wheeling them all inside. 

 

Will spent the entire day working, only to find that when he stopped, it was only a little past noon. 

 

Perhaps he was looking forward to this dinner more than he’d previously realized. 

 

That did raise the question, though. What would Will bring to dinner? He didn’t consider himself to be any kind of chef, but the foods that Will enjoyed he had learned to make to his preferences. He decided on a blueberry and goat cheese pie, since those were two ingredients he had on hand. Plus, it felt significant, somehow, to bring Hannibal something that, not only had he made from scratch, but whose ingredients came mostly from Will’s own garden, tended by his own hands. 

 

Will wasn’t entirely sure why he was making such a large effort, but as he was making the pie crust, he couldn’t help but smile as he imagined Hannibal’s face. Couldn’t help but wonder if he’d like it. Did his taste buds even work the same way as a human’s? 

 

Several eternities later it was time for dinner at Hannibal’s and Will was packing up a few things to take with him. The pie, of course, as well as a duffle bag filled with warmer clothes than the ones he was wearing, as well as a warm, wool blanket. Just in case the weather turned. It was unpredictable in these autumn months, and Will would rather be prepared than caught unawares. 

 

It was easier to find the correct opening between the sharp rocks that jutted from the ocean this time around, now that Will had navigated them once before. He was less distracted this time, as well. Focused not on the ocean itself but what lay beyond, inside that cliffside cavern. 

 

Will was thrumming with a strange kind of anticipation as he entered the cave and then hopped out of his boat to tie off on one of the stalagmites rising from the ground. 

 

“Hello, Will.” 

 

Even though he was expecting it, Will still startled a little bit at the sound of Hannibal’s voice. 

 

“Hey, Hannibal.” He greeted, stepping back on board to grab his things before hopping back out, ready to follow Hannibal. 

 

“I trust you had a safe journey?” 

 

“Yeah, I did. It was a lot easier this time.”

 

“I’m glad.” 

 

It was a little strange to watch Hannibal move on land, Will had to admit. See, it might have been easier for Hannibal to creep about with his torso close to the floor and tentacles spread out to help him move, that would put him at a level far beneath Will’s. At least, Will assumed that was why Hannibal insisted on raising himself up on his tentacles first, drawing himself up to be a little taller than Will before gliding gracefully along the polished floor on the remainder of his tentacles. 

 

Hannibal’s caves were even more beautiful than Will remembered. They were lit entirely naturally, of course, and his eyes quickly adjusted to the lower lighting. 

 

“Are your eyes better than mine?” Will asked, brimming with curiosity. 

 

“Yes, I imagine so.” Hannibal said. “They are designed to be able to see beneath the darkest waters, as well as in normal lighting. This is done in part by expanding and contracting the pupils far beyond what humans can typically manage.” 

 

“And magic.” Will added helpfully. 

 

“Yes, that too.” Hannibal agreed, and managed not to sound too exasperated. Will just grinned to himself. 

 

“Here are my fish pools.” Hannibal said, guiding Will into a very large room with a number of wide, yet shallow pools. “I prefer my meals to be fresh, so I store my catches here until I am ready for them. I am also, however, experimenting in breeding them and artificially selecting those specimens which are superior.” 

 

Will nodded, impressed. “This is amazing. How many pools are there?” He asked, opening his eyes wider, yet still unable to see the far side of the room. 

 

“About a dozen, I believe. Not all are full yet. It is a fairly recent project of mine.” He explained. 

 

They moved on to one of the next rooms, where the fungi and moss seemed to glow brightest. There were four basins of stone full of glowing water, cascading down into one another. The smallest pool at the top and the bottom one being greater of diameter than the ones that preceded it. 

 

“Oh my god.” Will breathed, staring at the water and the surrounding cavern. “This is beautiful...it’s like something out of a fairy tale.” 

 

Hannibal looked very pleased with himself as he nodded. “Yes, I agree. I enjoy this room immensely. I find that it can soothe a disquiet mind.” 

 

Will nodded, wondering how soon he could possibly excuse himself to have a dip in the pools. After dinner, maybe. 

 

“Here is where I sleep, when I do.” Hannibal said of the next room. 

 

Will thought that it looked more like an overlarge nest than it did something that an octopus person would prefer to sleep in. “You don’t sleep in the water?” Will asked, eyeing the pile of furs that admittedly looked delightfully soft and warm. 

 

“Not always, no.” Hannibal said. “The water can feel too much like an absence of sensation at times, while the furs provide a delightful texture to curl against.” 

 

Will nodded, it was something he could understand. He too, would rather feel warm and cozy than nothing at all. 

 

“And finally if you would follow me this way, to the dining room.” Hannibal ushered him, leading the way. 

 

Will wasn’t sure what he was expecting of the dining room, but this seemed to suit Hannibal’s aesthetics entirely. One of the walls of the cavern was covered in a variety of herbs and spices, as well as mushrooms and even some types of sea plants, kept in careful little pools of water to allow them to grow. 

 

Another wall was covered in layers of branching blue coral that glowed brighter than Will thought possible. 

 

A third wall seemed to be open to the ocean, but upon further inspection, there proved to be some kind of transparent, tangible barrier, although it wasn’t glass, and when asked about it, Hannibal merely smiled secretively and elected not to answer. 

 

However, by far the most impressive feature of the room was in the very center. The table and chairs were roughly, yet elegantly carved from a black, polished stone that, as it reflected the light, shone with inner fire, like galaxies swirling in its depths. Will stared, transfixed, certain that he must be watching the birth of universes within the crystalline surface. 

 

“That is...that is incredible...I’ve never seen anything like it.” Will marvelled, running a hand along the surface, almost surprised to find that it was solid, rather than some kind of gateway into another dimension. 

 

“Black fire opal.” Hannibal explained. “It is not usually found in such large, continuous quantities, let alone anything of this quality. I cannot imagine what this set would be valued at in your world.”

 

Will shook his head in disbelief. All the wealth in the world could not possibly match this, truly. And to have something so flawless, so beautiful and  _ alive _ ... Will could not believe that Hannibal meant for him to  _ sit  _ on them. 

 

As if reading his thoughts, Hannibal said, “Have a seat, Will. You needn’t worry. You will not mar them.” 

 

Will took that to mean that there was probably more magic at play here, so he took Hannibal at his word. Setting the pie down in the center of the table, and his bag in one of the corners of the room where he thought it would largely be out of the way. 

 

“One moment, please, Will. Allow me to get our plates.” Hannibal excused himself to the kitchen. 

 

Will took his seat tentatively, but when nothing seemed to shatter or crack, he relaxed a bit. 

 

Hannibal emerged a moment later, bearing two plates of fish. They were elegantly plated, their tails pulled through a slit in their throats to curl out of their mouths. It was grotesquely beautiful. Each plate also carried a single octopus tentacle, curled a little at the end. Will wondered if that was rather in poor taste. 

 

“Um. Hannibal.” He started, eyeing the plate warily. 

 

“Yes, Will?” Hannibal asked. 

 

“Isn’t it...strange for you? To uh. Eat octopus?” 

 

“Why no, Will.” Hannibal said with a small smirk. “I never feel guilty eating anything.” 

 

“Alright then...” Will wondered if he’d be able to make it through the meal without imagining that it was one of Hannibal’s tentacles sliding down his throat, rather than the one on his plate. The thought brought blood to his cheeks and he ducked his head, focusing on his meal, rather than the thought that had rose unbidden to his mind. 

 

Once he tasted the fish, though, all his embarrassment fled. “Oh my god, Hannibal. This is delicious.” 

 

“I’m glad you like it.” Hannibal said with a pleased smile on his face. 

 

“I’ve never had trout prepared this way, but I really like it.” 

 

“Perhaps I can teach you one day.” Hannibal offered and Will nodded eagerly. 

 

“Yeah, that’d be awesome.” He agreed. 

 

They ate in silence for a while until Hannibal spoke once more. 

 

“Tell me, Will, what do you do when you are not sailing or fishing?” 

 

Will shrugged, “Chores, mostly. I take care of my animals, tend the garden, fix what’s broken.” He explained. “Sometimes I visit Beverly in town. If I don’t, she gets worried and comes looking for me and then she never leaves.” He chuckled. 

 

“Ah, and this...Beverly, she is your paramour?” Hannibal asked, his mouth set in a disapproving line. 

 

Will laughed openly and shook his head. “Oh no. Absolutely not. Her uh,  _ husbands _ , would kill me.” He explained, noting the way that Hannibal seemed to relax marginally. “She’s just a really good friend. One of the few people in my life who’ve made a real effort to get to know me and then stick around.” 

 

“A rare thing, to find someone who can see you, know you, and accept you for who you are.” 

 

Will nodded. “I’ve built my life around not seeing anyone.” 

 

“Because if you looked, truly looked, you would see far too much.” 

 

“It’s hard not to feel repulsed by what I see in others.” 

 

“And what a tragedy it is to be seen, wholly understood by another, and then to suffer the same rejection.” Hannibal mused. “Many can blame their solitude on the idea that if  _ only  _ someone truly knew them, truly saw them, then surely they would have a companion.” 

 

“Yeah, and when it turns out that no, it’s just  _ you _ . There  _ is  _ actually something wrong with you, that’s a pretty shitty feeling.” Will agreed. 

 

“Perhaps when that rejection occurs, it is not because they feel repulsion toward the person themselves, but because the darkness inside them mirrors their own and they are horrified by the realization that it doesn’t repulse them the way they think it ought to.” 

 

Will frowned. “What, exactly, are you trying to say, Hannibal?” He asked. 

 

Hannibal’s eyebrows rose in faint surprise. “Why, nothing, Will. I was under the impression we were having a philosophical discussion.”

 

\-----------------

 

The rest of the dinner passed smoothly, and when the night drew to a close, Will said his goodbyes and boarded his boat. Hannibal saw him off, waving into the night with assurances that he’d see Will the next day. It was only after he’d left that Will realized he’d forgotten to ask Hannibal if he could swim in his pools. It would seem he’d definitely have to come back some time soon. 

 

That night, miraculously, Will did not dream. 

 

The next morning, however, Will realized too late that he’d been neglecting Beverly for the past few days. 

 

“William  _ Beauregard  _ Graham!” 

 

“That’s not my-” 

 

“I don’t care! Where have you been? I haven’t seen you for  _ weeks _ ! Brian started a betting pool around whether or not you’d died at sea or were mauled by wolves in the forest!”

 

“Bev-”

 

“Which is ludicrous, really, I mean, if  _ anyone  _ could command a pack of wolves, that’d  _ obviously  _ be you-” 

 

“Bev!”

 

“-but the idea that you died at sea is also hardly plausible, I mean you’re the best sailor in town! But with all the bodies, we didn’t know what to think! Every time we had to pull another one off the beach, I kept wondering if it was you and well,  _ obviously  _ not because here you are, but I WAS WORRIED, WILL.” 

 

“Beverly!” 

 

“What?” She had the nerve to look affronted at his yelling. 

 

“I’m fine. See?” He said, lifting his hands in a placating gesture. 

 

“Where have you been?” She demanded. 

 

Will sighed dramatically. “I’ve been- wait. Did you say  _ more  _ bodies?” 

 

Beverly nodded. “Yes! Almost every other day, it seems like! And not all of them are from this village it seems. We couldn’t identify some of them.” 

 

Will couldn’t help the way that his stomach gave a sick lurch. What had he been doing? Hannibal...Hannibal  _ killed  _ people. That’s what he  _ did _ . And sure, it might not be morally wrong for him to do so, given that true, they were different species, but what did that make  _ Will _ ? How could he possibly justify befriending such a monster?

 

“Will? Are you okay?” Beverly asked, touching his arm gently when it seemed Will had been staring off into space with a horrified, haunted expression on his face. 

 

“Sorry...” He muttered. “The nightmares have been worse lately.” He lied. In truth, he’d hardly had any nightmares lately, but the few that he’d had here and there didn’t bother him as much as they used to. It was almost like he’d gotten used to the violence, the agony that always accompanied them. And wasn’t that the point, right there? The thought that one day those horrors wouldn’t horrify him... _ that _ horrified him. Suddenly their conversation the night before only seemed more poignant. What did Hannibal  _ know _ ? Was he hiding something? If so, what?

 

Beverly looked at him sympathetically and Will felt like shit. What was he doing? He hated lying to her, but there was no way he could tell her, now. What would he even say? How would he explain Hannibal to her? He couldn’t lose her, her friendship and her company. He loved her like a sister and the thought that she might stop talking to him altogether...wasn’t something he could stand, even if it meant that in the meantime he was being duplicitous. 

 

True, the right course of action would probably be to tell the town what kept killing and eating their people...but Will knew what would happen. They would don their torches and pitchforks, metaphorically speaking, and hunt him out. Will didn’t know just how hard it would be to kill Hannibal, especially when he had the whole ocean to run to, but he also didn’t want to test it. He didn’t want to see the hurt and the betrayal in Hannibal’s eyes. 

 

It took Will just a moment too long to remember that the  _ most  _ important reason he couldn’t send the villagers after Hannibal was that he’d undoubtedly kill them all. 

 

Will was in too deep and he didn’t know what to do about it. 

 

“Hey...maybe you should go home and try to get some rest, yeah? We can talk later if you’re not feeling up to it...” Beverly suggested gently, eyebrows drawn together in concern. 

 

Will nodded tiredly, trying to ignore the guilt that was clawing at him from within as he took the easy out that he’d been given. “Yeah, that’s a good idea. Besides, now you know I’m still alive.” He joked weakly. 

 

Beverly shook her head, “Not funny, Graham. Go home, sleep. Or drink yourself into unconsciousness, if you have to. Don’t look at me like that, we both know that’s exactly what you do...” 

 

Will managed a weak smile before he was out the door, heading back home. 

 

It was sheer impulse that drove him to his boat that night. Pure, drunken impulse, and nothing more. He’d drank consistently since he’d arrived at home and now, in the dead of night, he’d decided that it was time to say goodbye to Hannibal. Perhaps this way he could save them both. 

 

His drunken mind said this was the only way, the easiest way to remain friends with Bev and to keep Hannibal alive. 

 

It was a new moon and the water was pitch-black, like a rippling sheet of velvet. Will had no way to know if Hannibal would come to him that night or not, especially after having avoided him basically all day. He seemed to be able to sense Will’s presence somehow, or maybe he was always watching, it was hard to tell. 

 

Will imagined his eyes following him everywhere and shivered, but not from discomfort. He wanted to look at his eyes forever...what color were they, even? They were dark...dark like...like the ocean was right now. They were beautiful... 

 

Later, if Will remembered any of his inebriated thoughts, he’d probably feel some measure of embarrassment, but now...inhibitions lowered enough to allow himself to think the thoughts he’d denied himself, he indulged. 

 

He considered the plane of Hannibal’s back, strong, wiry muscle that led down to where skin became...different skin. _ Eloquent, Will. _ He chided himself. And that chest...his arms...his lips, so often pouting or smirking at him. And of course, his tentacles. Will had never touched them - it seemed inappropriate, and it probably was, but he wondered, would they feel as silky soft as they looked? Were they slimy? Will wanted to know. He wanted to know every detail. He wanted to tas-

 

“Will?” 

 

He startled, jerked from his reverie. “Hhhaaannibal...” He slurred softly. “Hi.” 

 

“Hello, Will.” Hannibal greeted, climbing on board. “It is very late, and you are very drunk. What troubles you?” He asked, genuine concern shining in his eyes. 

 

Will wondered if he ever slept. 

 

“Of course, I do, Will. You saw my bedroom yesterday.” Hannibal answered with an amused smile. 

 

Oh. So he’d said that out loud. Best be careful with that, Will reminded himself. 

 

“More bodies...” Will said, as if that explained all, waving vaguely in the direction of the shoreline. 

 

“Ah yes, more have washed up, correct? I’m sure that has the town in a tizzy.” Hannibal mused. 

 

“Can’t...” Will murmured. “I’m... _ I’m _ a body. Can’t...” 

 

“Shhh, it’s quite alright Will. Focus on what you are trying to communicate, please.” Hannibal guided. 

 

“It’s..bad. I’mma bad person...friends...with you.” He managed to piece together. 

 

“Ahh yes, I see. You feel your own morality is being called into question by associating with me. Well, we can’t have that, can we?” 

 

Will shook his head, realizing just how drowsy he truly was. Maybe sailing drunk hadn’t been his brightest idea after all. 

 

“No, Will, I daresay it was not.” Hannibal agreed. “I had rather hoped to wait to do this, preferably saving it for a time that you would be sober at least, but I cannot afford to wait and allow you to be filled with any form of newly-found resolve to avoid me.” 

 

Will wasn’t sure if he wasn’t understanding because he was drunk or if it was because Hannibal often didn’t make any sense. So he just nodded dumbly in the hopes that he’d be left alone to sleep. Why was Hannibal still talking? 

 

Hannibal drew closer, and as Will sunk deep into unconsciousness, he thought he felt the brush of satin against his cheek. 

 

\--------------

 

Will awoke in his own bed, as disoriented as he usually was after a night of heavy drinking, but moreso because he distinctly remembered making the decision to go sailing. He also thought he remembered Hannibal, but that didn’t explain how, exactly, he ended up in his own bed, dressed in soft pajamas he didn’t own, and tucked into bed snugly. 

 

He staggered out of bed, heading straight to the bathroom to relieve himself, and grimacing at the face that stared back at him from the mirror. He both felt and looked like death warmed over and Will would be glad to just...skip this day and move onto the next when he’d feel a little more human again. 

 

Will walked around the house, and even searched outside, but Hannibal was nowhere in sight. 

 

It was stupid to assume, really. It just as well could have been Beverly or one of her husbands who’d found Will and had taken pity on the poor, drunken recluse. It made a hell of a lot more sense. 

 

There was breakfast waiting for him on the kitchen counter, still reasonably warm. Whoever had laid him to bed must have known he was about to wake up and had left before he could. 

 

What really worried and perplexed Will, however, were the pajamas. He’d never owned matching pajamas as an adult, let alone anything of this...quality. 

 

Head pounding, Will decided he’d think about it later and decide then whether or not he was angry. Right now, this was by far more thinking than he was capable of. In fact, Will fully intended to eat his breakfast, and go back to bed. 

 

They were the best goddamn scrambled eggs and sausage that Will had ever had. 

 

There was something wonderfully decadent about going back to bed in the middle of the day, somehow everything seemed more comfortable. Perhaps because it was generally frowned upon to be abed during the day and that sense of the forbidden just added to the allure. 

 

Regardless, Will sank back into his mattress, resting on his stomach, with his head turned to the side as it was the only position that didn’t further aggravate his headache. He spread out his limbs comfortably, and drifted back to sleep. 

 

The siren song he’d dreamed of a previous night had returned, louder and clearer than before. It was beautiful, high and trilling, yet also somehow foreboding. Will knew inexplicably, like one often does in dreams, that it was Hannibal that sang to him.

 

Will hummed the melody back, not sure if he did it only within his dream or out loud as well. Either way, the song took on a note of pleased happiness now that it had a counterpoint to harmonize with. 

 

It was beautiful, and it made Will question whether he truly was asleep or merely in some kind of trance. 

 

Will allowed his mind to wander, and what had once been a dark mindscape with only the trilling of his own personal siren to accompany him, now brightened to reveal shining blue waters that he swam within. He swam as effortlessly as a fish, his body undulating to propel him forward, gliding above beautiful forests of branching coral, populated by colorful tropical fish. He soon found himself at the opening of a small underwater cave. But rather than feeling apprehensive about swimming into the dark, it felt like coming home, and it wasn’t long before his eyes adjusted, revealing cozy, homey surroundings. 

 

Before he could think too long on that, however, he felt strong arms envelop him and pull him back against an equally strong chest, hair tickling Will’s back. 

 

“Welcome home.” Said a familiar voice, and lips that Will had spent hours contemplating brushed against his neck in a kiss that was both claiming and sweet. 

 

“Is this...real?” Will whispered, letting his eyes fall shut. “Feels like a dream.” 

 

“Dreams are no less real than you or I.” Came the response. 

 

“Well that doesn’t really answer my question, does it?” 

 

“Perhaps not, but you cannot deny that you are content here, can you, my darling?” 

 

“Mmm, no.” Will agreed, letting his head fall back against the other’s shoulder to allow those lips to continue brushing his skin. “Don’t wanna wake up, if this is a dream.” 

 

“You must. It is not yet our time, dearest. But soon.” He promised. 

 

“Don’t wanna leave you...” 

 

“Shhhh, then allow me to leave you with something like a promise...” He whispered against Will’s ear, before a hand that Will had never touched before, yet felt familiar, slid down past his belly possessively. 

 

Will sighed happily and surrendered. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I absolutely AM uploading this at midnight because I just finished editing and I just couldn't wait another second, okay? I'm probably as excited for updates as you guys are lol   
> Anyway, I hope this satisfies ;)  
> Every day we grow closer to the true tentacle porn ♥
> 
> As usual, all mistakes are mine! Although I've been considering looking for a beta, idk. Sometimes a fresh perspective is helpful :)  
> But in the meantime, please feel free to point out any typos that slipped through :D ♥

Something wasn’t quite right when Will awoke. He could feel that something was off, almost like he was still asleep. He knew he’d dreamed, but he couldn’t remember anything about it, which was a shame because, going by the state of his boxers, it had been a very good dream indeed. 

 

It wasn’t often that Will was hungover, despite having a bit of a drinking problem. So a part of him wanted to blame his odd feeling on still recovering from his hangover. Still, a deeper part of him knew that wasn’t the case at all. 

 

It was like Will’s mind had some kind of a fog over it, obscuring his thoughts from himself. He’d wander around his house, continually forgetting what it was he had meant to do. But it wasn’t until this had happened around the fifth time or so that Will really realized it, and also realized that there was something going on. 

 

The only place his thoughts were at home to linger was on the sea, and Hannibal. Those were the only two subjects that he was able to contemplate for any significant amount of time without his mind wandering against his will. Once he had enough awareness to notice that, he knew it couldn’t be a coincidence. Had Hannibal...done something to him? Will couldn’t be sure, but it was a possibility he had to consider.

 

The more he thought about it, the harder he tried to concentrate on what must have happened the night before, the more certain he became that Hannibal must have had something to do with his return home, as well. It was simply too unlikely that anyone else would have found him, much less at that time of night.

 

Will knew that there was something important he was forgetting, some detail of the past couple days that was escaping him, but he couldn’t pinpoint it, nor narrow it down to a general topic. It was almost like there was some deep, unshakable truth that was missing from his mind. It was frustrating, and the more that Will tried to think about it, the worse his headache became. There was just nothing for it, then. He’d have to talk to Hannibal. 

 

Even that simple thought filled him with a strange sense of dread, although Will couldn’t imagine why. 

 

\-------------

 

“Why...hello, Will.” Hannibal greeted, somewhat bemused as Will arrived in his cavern unannounced. Will had the grace to look a little abashed. 

 

“Sorry, I probably should have asked before I came, but I had to see you.” He explained, wincing internally at how needy that’d come out. 

 

“Certainly, Will. My door, metaphorically speaking, is always open to you.” Hannibal assured him, leading him deeper into the caves. “What troubles you?” He asked. 

 

Will paused, unsure where to even begin. “I...I’m missing memories.” He started with. “I was wondering if you could fill me in.” 

 

Hannibal looked thoughtful for a moment, “What do you last remember?” He asked, as he led Will into the cavern with the pools of water Will had admired before. “Perhaps a dip would help to calm your nerves while we speak?” He suggested. 

 

Will wasn’t about to pass up the opportunity, and began to shed his clothing at the side of the lowest pool, telling himself that it was alright, they were both male, and changing in front of Hannibal wasn’t weird.

 

It was still a little weird.

 

“I remember getting very, very drunk. I remember sailing. I also think I remember you there, but I’m not sure that wasn’t just a hallucination.” He said as he undressed, deciding to strip down completely, since wet boxers weren’t especially fun to deal with. His practicality winning out over the lingering embarrassment he felt.

 

Hannibal politely turned away as Will shed his clothing and gracefully slipped into the pool a moment before Will joined him. As he sank into the water, Will noted that it was the perfect temperature, neither too hot nor too cold - possibly heated by some form of underwater hot springs. The phosphorescent algae twinkled around him as he moved through the water, making it seem almost as if he were wading through galaxies. 

 

“No, I assure you, you did not hallucinate my presence.” Hannibal smiled. “I did indeed find you adrift on the water, and heavily intoxicated. I worried for your wellbeing, especially after you lost consciousness. I found it unwise to leave you there.” 

 

“So you...took me home?” Will asked, a little dubiously, sinking nose-deep into the water and shutting his eyes. He didn’t see the fond smile directed at him.

 

“I did, yes. It was no small difficulty, but I could hardly leave you there.” Hannibal admitted. 

 

Will could feel something in his chest expanding, something like a longing fondness that he couldn’t remember ever feeling before. It was, perhaps, similar to the longing he felt for the sea when he’d been ashore for too long, but much greater in intensity. 

 

“And...you put me to bed?” Will asked unthinkingly, his face coloring a little at the unintentional innuendo, but if asked, he would surely blame it on the warmth of the water. 

 

Hannibal inclined his head in the affirmative. 

 

Thus far, his tentacles had kept to themselves, mostly. But it occurred to Will, as one brushed against his ankle, that he’d never really been in the water with Hannibal while conscious. Nor could he remember ever having felt their texture against his skin. The brief brush felt like satin. 

 

“I carried you, unconscious, up the cliffside stairs, and into your bed, where I dressed you and put you to sleep.” Hannibal said, bringing Will’s attention back to their conversation. He didn’t want to address the stray tentacle in case it had been an accident, but Will was overcome with curiosity and desperately wanted to feel more. He supposed it’d probably be rude to ask. 

 

“I can’t believe that...” Will marvelled. “Thank you.” He said quietly. “I don’t think anyone’s ever done that kind of thing for me before.” He laughed self-deprecatingly, scratching the back of his head. He still wondered where Hannibal had gotten the set of pajamas he’d been dressed in, but he decided that it ultimately wasn’t that important to find out. The answer just as well could be magic. But it would call attention to yet another unnecessary act of kindness directed at him. 

 

“My dear Will.” Hannibal crooned. “You deserve to be attended to with all tenderness and care.” 

 

Will found he couldn’t meet Hannibal’s eyes, mesmerising as they were, after that statement. It just...it wasn’t true. Will worked very hard to distance himself from others, to maintain the isolation that his father had left him, almost like an inheritance. It was intentional. He didn’t deserve anything from anyone, least of all  _ tenderness and care _ . He nearly scoffed. 

 

Hannibal seemed to read his expression anyway. “You don’t agree.” 

 

Will shrugged, “Not really. I mean, I haven’t done anything for you to think that.” 

 

“Ahhh,  _ au contraire _ , Will.” Hannibal corrected. “You have, for one, brought me a most delicious pie. I must confess that I devoured what remained after our meal in a manner most unbecoming.” He said with a twinkle in his eye. 

 

The words had the desired effect, and Will smiled a little, pleased with himself for having created something to Hannibal’s liking. “I can make you another, if you’d like.” He offered, almost shyly. 

 

“I would like that very much, Will.” Hannibal said. “Surely, you will think me a glutton, gorging myself on your sweetness.” 

 

Will didn’t know what to do with that particular comment, whether Hannibal had meant it to sound as suggestive as it had, or perhaps Will’s mind was simply reading too far into it. Still, Will averted his eyes as he felt his groin stirring at the way Hannibal’s tongue caressed those syllables. His voice... _ god _ . How had Will never noticed before? How was it possible that the simplest of words seemed to be laced with debauchery when spoken by Hannibal?

 

Will needed to think about something else. They were far too close together, and his cock was far too interested. 

 

“So uh, you tuck in everyone that brings you pie?” Will asked, and actually winced at how that came out. Honestly, this was why Will avoided conversations. He was terrible at them, and just dug himself into holes. 

 

Hannibal, however, seemed delighted. “I must confess, Will. In all my years of living, never once have I ever been gifted a pie before. Yours, was my first.” He said, and Will again had to fight against any deeper meanings that could be extracted from that statement. 

 

“Well. I’m glad you liked it.” He said awkwardly. “And thanks for rescuing me...again.” 

 

“Oh, it was  _ entirely  _ my pleasure, Will.” Hannibal purred. 

 

“I don’t know...one day you might consider not helping. Might be less trouble for you in the long run.” Will said as he realized just how in Hannibal’s debt he was. Technically he owed him two life debts...and all he’d managed to give him in return was pie. Pie, and unannounced visits. 

 

“Nonsense, Will.” Hannibal said, rather sternly. “I see I must find a way to convince you of your own self-worth. You are a treasure of immeasurable value.” 

 

Will barked out a disbelieving laugh. “Yeah,  _ sure _ . I don’t know what you want from me, Hannibal, but you don’t need flattery to get it. You’ve saved me twice, I’m already in your debt. So...whatever you’re hoping to accomplish with lies and compliments...just. Just ask, alright?” Will looked up and made eye contact with Hannibal, trying to piece together what the man could possibly want from him. Will admittedly had very little to give. 

 

Hannibal’s eyes seemed to be tinged with sadness for a moment before the emotion was replaced with a calm serenity. Hannibal scooted over, closer to Will, until he was within arm’s reach. Will fought the urge to move away and create a safe distance between them. 

 

“Oh, Will.” Hannibal breathed, a hand coming up to curl behind the base of Will’s skull, his thumb pressed against his ear. “Darling boy.”  Sitting so close, Will felt Hannibal’s tentacles press against his legs, winding between them and settling in the spaces where Will was not. So much contact so soon was nothing short of overwhelming, and Will fought to keep his mind on Hannibal, rather than the silky limbs that brushed against him innocently beneath the water. Even though the touch was chaste, not seeming to carry any kind of intent with it, it still put Will on edge, although he couldn’t pinpoint why, exactly. Perhaps it was some instinctual response to having a predator in such close proximity to him, or perhaps it was the less-than-chaste thoughts that pervaded Will’s mind. 

 

“What do you want?” Will asked, brow furrowed and voice coming out like a plea. 

 

Hannibal smiled, his thumb caressing the shell of Will’s ear. “My kind are solitary creatures. Prone to fighting over territory.” He nearly whispered. Will could feel his cool breath against his cheek. He smelled of salt and blood, a combination that Will thought he ought to find more off-putting than he did. But he was completely captivated by Hannibal’s words, since Will so often wanted to learn more about Hannibal, and always eagerly absorbed every detail he was offered, like drops of water in a desert. 

 

“We live our lives in solitude, for however long we must. I have been waiting especially long.” 

 

“For your mate?” Will interrupted, suddenly imagining a female octopus woman. 

 

“Yes. Have you any idea how lonesome it is to wander for centuries, without any form of companionship?” 

 

_ He was lonely _ . Will could understand this. “And I guess most humans, even if you didn’t want to eat them, are more likely to run screaming in horror.” He guessed. 

 

Hannibal nodded, “Indeed.” 

 

“I see. So you saved me because you crave companionship. Because you’d like a friend, and thought maybe I’d be a potential candidate.” Will reasoned, a soft smile spreading over his face. “I...I can relate.” He admitted, hoping that perhaps his own vulnerability would help offset whatever embarrassment Hannibal might feel at having admitted his own loneliness. 

 

Something flashed in Hannibal’s eyes almost too quick to catch, but Hannibal’s eyes seemed to glow with mirth, perhaps at having found a kindred spirit in Will. 

 

“What about your mate, though?” Will asked, not waiting for Hannibal to answer. “I thought you said you came here to be with her. Is she not here yet? Are you having trouble finding her?” 

 

At this, Hannibal openly grinned. “Dear Will, you seem very adamant that my mate is female. Surely you have realized by now that our biologies are not at all like a human’s, although we share similar physical traits. How can you be certain that  _ I  _ am not considered the female of my species?” He teased and Will blushed. 

 

“Oh. Right, sorry. I shouldn’t have assumed.” Will corrected awkwardly. “So uh. Are you, then? The female of your species?” 

 

Hannibal smiled enigmatically. “Our kind is not so binary. Perhaps one day I’ll explain it to you, but how very forward of you, Will. Do you often ask those you meet about their reproductive biology?” He teased, seeming to delight in Will’s discomfort and embarrassment. 

 

“That’s...that’s not- aw, hell...” Will shook his head, looking away. “I mean, to be fair, you brought it up first! I was just...I was...” He floundered, running a hand through his hair and creating some distance between them. 

 

“Shhhh, it’s quite alright, Will. I apologise, it is much too amusing for me to rile you so.” Hannibal soothed, sliding closer to Will and letting the back of his fingers brush against Will’s heated cheeks. “Your circulatory system is a beautiful thing, Will. The way that your blood, red and hot, is drawn to the vessels in your face when you are distressed...it really is quite fetching.” 

 

Of course, that did nothing to help alleviate Will’s blush, if anything, it made it worse. 

 

“Don’t...don’t you blush?” Will asked, his own arms wrapping around himself defensively, although he didn’t move away from Hannibal’s touch.

 

“Not quite, no.” Hannibal said, “Our blood is blue, like some cephalopods, and so I’m afraid that such a reaction would bring a blue tinge to the surface of my skin, rather than your lovely shade of pink.” 

 

“Your blood is blue?” Will asked, turning to look at Hannibal properly. Sure, the veins and arteries that Will could see were blue, but that wasn’t so different from a human in appearance. He’d noticed, of course, that Hannibal was very pale, and his skin did lack any kind of pinkish hue, but Will had assumed that had more to do with the cold waters and lack of sunshine that Hannibal called home than an innate difference in biology. 

 

“Yes, it is.” Hannibal said. “Would you like to see?” He asked. Without waiting for a response, he raised a hand to his mouth, which opened to reveal razor-sharp teeth, and slid his index finger along one of his canines. Within seconds, bright, ultramarine blue blood came welling to the surface, and he held the finger out to Will for his inspection. 

 

It was amazing, just like every other part of Hannibal Will had been allowed to discover, and he reached out to cup Hannibal’s hand. He watched as the blood trickled out and spilled over into Will’s hands, staining both their hands a bright cobalt. 

 

“Oh my god...” Will breathed. “I’ve never seen anything like this.” He said. “If...if our blood mixed, would it make purple?” He asked absently, and then seemed to realize what he’d said and shook his head. “Sorry, ignore me. That was a stupid thing to say.” 

 

“Nothing you say is stupid, Will. Would you like to find out?” Hannibal offered. 

 

Will nodded before he could convince himself not to. Hannibal took Will’s hand in his and quickly licked the tip of his index finger. Will’s breath hitched, feeling how soft and smooth his tongue was. He was about to ask what Hannibal was doing before he answered the unasked question. 

 

“My saliva has some anaesthetic properties. I do not wish to cause you more pain than necessary for this.” 

 

Will nodded, and felt the pressure of Hannibal’s teeth sliding against his finger, but true to his word, Will felt no pain as a tiny slice was created in his skin. As blood welled, Will brought his finger closer to Hannibal’s, and before he could decide how to mix the two, Hannibal pressed them together, mixing their blood directly. 

 

Will watched as the mixed blood turned a vibrant shade of purple, far brighter than anything Will could have imagined, and he wondered if there was magic involved. His own blood was a dark red, so surely the resultant color should have been a very deep, dark purple, rather than this bright amethyst. 

 

There was something unbearably intimate about the mixing and sharing of blood in this fashion, and it called to mind the blood covenants of old. Will shivered, but not of cold. The moment felt heavy with significance.

 

“Mesmerizing, is it not?” Hannibal asked, sounding as affected as Will was. 

 

“It’s...it’s beautiful.” Will whispered. 

 

“As are you.” Hannibal said so quietly that Will had to wonder if he’d imagined it. Looking up into Hannibal’s eyes Will was surprised to find desire there, a hunger that ached for more than physical sustenance. In this moment, it was like sailing past the surf break into open, calmer waters. It was sudden clarity, an irrefutable truth that Will found in Hannibal’s eyes, like the final piece of a puzzle Will hadn’t known he’d been solving. 

 

“Hannibal...” Will breathed, eyes dropping to his lips. Lips that housed deadly teeth, stained red by Will’s own blood, and why did he find the thought so arousing?

 

Hannibal may have been the one to close the gap between them, but Will eagerly tilted his chin up in offering, eyes fluttering shut in a clear display of trust in towards so deadly a predator. How could Hannibal have ever hoped to resist?

 

He met Will’s lips with his own, a light pressure to start, to make sure that Will would not have second thoughts and pull away in horror. But when Will pressed back, his lips moving against Hannibal’s, he took that to mean he was more than welcome there. 

 

Will was more than happy to take his time cataloguing these sensations, the smell and feel and taste of Hannibal so near to him, it was intoxicating. 

 

The longer they kissed, the more confident Will grew, and it wasn’t long before he was pulling Hannibal’s full lower lip between his own to suck and nibble on gently. 

 

The answering hum that came from deep within Hannibal’s chest only spurred Will on, his hands settling somewhere near Hannibal’s hips, right above where his tentacles began. 

 

Will broke for air with a gasp, his breath coming in desperate pants. Hannibal seemed not to have the same problem, however. “Oh my god.” Will panted. 

 

“Mmm, quite.” Hannibal agreed, pulling Will closer so he could nuzzle beneath his jaw, kissing his way up behind Will’s ear. 

 

“How are you not out of breath? You’re making me feel old and out of shape.” Will chuckled. 

 

“Not at all.” Hannibal assured him. “I have a rather unfair advantage.” He said, and guided one of Will’s hands high up his side, just beneath his armpit, where Will felt strange flaps of skin opening and closing rhythmically. 

 

“Gills?” He asked, and Hannibal nodded. “How come I’ve never noticed them?” Will was sure that he would have remembered seeing them before. 

 

“Out of water they remain closed. Sealed, if you will. Completely indistinguishable from the surrounding skin.” Hannibal confirmed. 

 

“You’re amazing. Every part of you.” Will marvelled, tugging Hannibal back up to join their lips anew. 

 

This time their kiss deepened quickly, Will moaning unabashedly as Hannibal’s tongue explored the inside of his mouth and slid against his own tongue. It wasn’t hard for Will to imagine Hannibal’s tongue as another of his tentacles, and Will was surprised at how much the thought aroused him. There was no escaping the fact that he was rock hard now, and he rather hoped Hannibal wouldn’t notice. Will wished Hannibal had an equally visible reaction to arousal, but if there was such a sign, Will had no idea what to look for or how to recognize it if he saw it. 

 

Hannibal’s hands roamed Will’s back and sides, content to explore him with all the confidence of someone who knew their touches were welcome. Will was a little more hesitant, however. While he knew what was generally accepted in human relationships, he was wary of committing some unintentional faux pas.

 

Hannibal seemed to realise this, however, because he grabbed one of Will’s hands and slid it further down to the very top of one of his tentacles. 

 

“Goddamn...” Will gasped, pulling away a little in order to watch his hand run over the skin of the limb. “I don’t...is this okay?” He asked inelegantly, unable to completely articulate the reason for his hesitation.

 

“You may...consider them my legs, if that makes you more comfortable.” Hannibal suggested. “I am not bothered, and it is, in fact, quite a pleasant sensation.” 

 

“It just...feels so inappropriate.” Will giggled nervously. The smirk that Hannibal gave him did absolutely nothing to assuage his worries, and if anything, just made them worse. But then Hannibal’s mouth was back on his and Will had very little room left in his mind for reservations. 

 

He was still tentative about exploring Hannibal’s additional limbs, but it seemed that they did not share the same hesitation. Perhaps in an effort to make Will more comfortable, they had begun to twine around his ankles and feet, not restraining, just sliding against his skin. 

 

Hannibal allowed Will to grow comfortable with them like that, before they slid further up his calves and up the backs of his knees. They went no further, but it was enough to coax Will into touching them properly. 

 

The next time that Will had to break for air, Hannibal moved back, reclining against the side of the pool, and pulling Will down over him. Will went eagerly, taking the change of position in stride and taking a more dominant role in their shared kisses. He rested one forearm by Hannibal’s head while his other hand cupped Hannibal’s jaw. The way that Hannibal opened for him and teased his tongue so sweetly had Will moaning into the kiss, unabashedly loud. 

 

He truly hadn’t noticed how hard he was until his cock accidentally dragged against Hannibal’s abdomen. He was about to pull away to apologise when Hannibal moaned against his lips and wrapped two tentacles around his waist, preventing him from moving away. A third tentacle found it’s way between Will’s legs, giving him something to thrust against, undulating against him when Will didn’t immediately take the hint. 

 

Will broke away from the kiss with a gasp, “Oh fuck, what-?”

 

“Shh, take your pleasure, sweet boy.” Hannibal encouraged him, hands dropping down to grip large handfuls of Will’s ass and drag him forward. 

 

“Oh fuckfuckfuck...” He moaned, his head dropping down against Hannibal’s shoulder as he panted open-mouthed and thrust against him. It had been a long time since Will had been with somebody, and he knew he wasn’t going to last very long. 

 

Hannibal encouraged him with pressing hands and sliding limbs, and the way he moaned like he was getting fucked. It almost made Will think that Hannibal was getting off on this just as much as he was, although he couldn’t imagine how that could be, unless...

 

“Yes, darling, that’s it...” Hannibal praised him. “Let go, allow your pleasure to build and crest...” 

 

Will sobbed against Hannibal’s shoulder, shuddering as he did just that, coming against the tentacle he’d been grinding against. As he came, he thought he felt Hannibal’s tentacles shuddering around him, but he wasn’t sure. It just as well could have been his own tremors. 

 

They lay like that for some time, wrapped up in each other, more literally than figuratively, as they caught their breaths. 

 

“Hannibal?” Will asked quietly after a few moments, head pillowed against Hannibal’s chest. 

 

“Yes, darling?” 

 

“How do you... how does your kind-? That is, I want to get you off, but I don’t know how.” He ventured, blushing once more. 

 

“Mmm, you did admirably, I must confess.” Hannibal assured him. 

 

“But how...?” Will asked, brow furrowed. 

 

“Primarily, a positive feedback loop.” Hannibal explained. “Although my additional limbs are rather...sensitive. Even moreso that human fingertips.” He said, and then paused for a moment. “They can also be, under specific conditions, rather significant erogenous zones.”  

 

Will took a moment to process this. “So...you’re saying you basically have the equivalent of a couple dozen prehensile dicks?”

 

Hannibal sighed, and Will smiled against his chest. He imagined Hannibal was probably rolling his eyes. 

 

“Not at all. Like I said, that particular function is only activated under very specific conditions.” He said, and it didn’t seem like he was going to elaborate any time soon. 

 

Will considered this, along with the rest of their previous conversation. He was feeling quite drowsy, and like he could sleep for a couple thousand years, but he felt that there was something important that he was missing again. 

 

Just as siren song began to play in his mind, luring him closer to his dreams, Will sat up abruptly, having come to a conclusion. Hannibal seemed startled by the sudden motion, like he too had been drifting off. 

 

“Hannibal, am I...your mate?”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE PORN IS HERE  
> THE FUCKENING HAS ARRIVED  
> Also, all mistakes are mine ♥  
> Please enjoy! :D
> 
> ALSO OMG THIS FIC HAS FANART AHHHHHH  
> I'M SO HONORED OMG  
> IT'S [Here](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7489038/chapters/25537263)  
> GO LOOK AT IT OMGGG

_ “Hannibal, am I...your mate?” _

 

Hannibal smiled softly, his hands running down to rest on the planes of Will's chest. “My darling...” He began quietly. “I had hoped to court you before burdening you with any notions of expectation or inevitability. I wished our relationship to develop naturally.” 

 

It sounded a lot like an apology to Will, and he wasn't having it. “You don't need to make excuses, Hannibal. I appreciate not having been manipulated.” He smiled, and Hannibal busied himself with admiring the contrast of their skin tones, his fingers splayed against Will's skin, rather than make eye contact with him. 

 

Will fidgeted a bit as he considered whether or not to ask the next question. “So um. Mates. How uh, how does that work, exactly? Because it sounds like it carries a lot more weight than human relationships...” 

 

Hannibal nodded, “It does, yes. It creates a biological imperative for my kind. However, until the bond has been fully realized, I don’t believe you would be able to sense the connection.” 

 

“Bond?” Will asked, trying to decide whether he wanted to be able to see Hannibal’s face for this conversation, or if he’d rather settle comfortably in his many-limbed embrace. 

 

Sensing his indecision, Hannibal suggested, “Shall we move to a more comfortable location to continue this conversation? It would seem that your skin has become rather waterlogged.” He said, holding up Will’s hand and examining his pruny fingertips. 

 

“Alright.” Will agreed easily, and allowed himself to be led down the cavern he remembered led to Hannibal’s bedroom nest of furs. 

 

The furs were every bit as soft and comfortable as they looked, and Will stretched out on them, smirking up at Hannibal who watched him with unabashed hunger. He curled against Will readily as he was beckoned, tentacles tangling between Will’s legs as they faced each other on their sides. 

 

Will wordlessly, and almost shyly, slid his fingers against Hannibal’s upturned hand, fitting in the spaces left between, like they were made for him. 

 

“So...bonds?” He prompted. 

 

“The culmination of a successful courtship, yes.” Hannibal began. “It comes with a number of benefits to both.”

 

“Like what?” Will asked.

 

“Shared experiences is the most commonly experienced, sometimes manifesting even prior to the bond having been consummated.” Hannibal said. “Often, moments from each individual’s life will bleed over into the other’s, especially in the form of dreams.” 

 

Will nodded, and decided that made sense. It would definitely explain why he hadn’t had such terrible nightmares after having met Hannibal. 

 

“There are other physiological benefits as well.” Hannibal continued. “Enhanced healing, empathy, and in some cases, the connection goes so deep as to allow mates to communicate telepathically. Something that can be very useful underwater, where sound would not carry in the same way.” 

 

Will had more questions about that, but at the moment, one particular one was burning inside him. “How, exactly, does courtship go? And then forming the bond?” 

 

Hannibal smiled briefly, his tentacles seeming to grow restless around him, sliding against Will’s skin sensually as if he wanted to be able to touch all of Will at the same time, leaving no inch of him unexplored. The dim light made them seem as if they glowed, deep blues and purples, almost black, yet shining as if with some kind of inner luminance. They were gorgeous.

 

“There are stages, and each must be reciprocated. There is the sharing of food, the gifting of gifts, the invitation into one’s lair. Not in any particular order, however.” Hannibal explained, and Will blushed as he realized that they’d already done all of those. 

 

“What else?” He asked, scooting closer and pressing back affectionately against Hannibal’s explorative limbs. 

 

“The first touch is...especially meaningful. It was regretful that you are unable to remember it, as you were deeply inebriated.”

 

“Sorry...” Will apologized, saddened by how disappointed Hannibal looked about it.

 

“It’s in the past, Will.” Hannibal assured him. “Thankfully, you were conscious for far more.” He said. “Our first kiss, for example. That is another, far more advanced stage of courtship. The final act of consummation is nothing quite as base as your kind’s idea of the act, not that that isn’t pleasurable in its own right. However, my kind values blood as a being’s life force, akin to the being itself. We take our mate’s life into our own and share ours in return. Binding ourselves to one another at a molecular level.” 

 

Will frowned. “We did that, didn’t we?” He asked, not entirely sure if it had counted when their blood had mingled, or if some kind of ceremony was needed or something. 

 

Hannibal shook his head slightly. “In a sense, but not fully, no. For the bond to complete itself, life force must be ingested by both.” 

 

Will thought about this for a moment. “You licked the blood off of my finger.”

 

“I did.” 

 

“So you’re waiting for me to finish the bond?” 

 

“I would not presume to make your decisions for you, Will.” Hannibal said quickly. “The choice is entirely yours. The last choice, that is. The final decision rests in your hands.” 

 

Will had the distinct feeling of having been backed into a corner, but he tried to dispel the feeling, telling himself that yes, while Hannibal may have accelerated their courtship, and entirely without Will’s knowledge, at the very least he  _ was  _ affording him the final decision. However, posed like this, Will couldn’t imagine a way to refuse him. To walk away and say no thank you. 

 

But who, then, would ever show Will the same kind of acceptance that Hannibal did? Will imagined briefly, returning to his life of solitude, never again seeing Hannibal, talking with him, enjoying his company. Will had never had a problem with being alone before. But he supposed that after knowing true companionship, returning to his lonesome existence would be all the more poignantly painful. 

 

What reason did Will have to refuse him, after all? 

 

Will tried to wrack his brain for reasons to say no, to say that this was a terrible idea. However, all he could seem to focus on was the peaceful siren song that came to him in his dreams. Now he knew it came from Hannibal, and the thought made him smile - that even in his dreams, Hannibal sought to protect him from his own mind. 

 

Decision made, Will surged forward to capture Hannibal’s lips in a fervent kiss, one that quickly turned vicious as Will bit down on Hannibal’s lower lip, hard. He drank down Hannibal’s surprised inhale, and sucked on his bleeding mouth, satisfied as the coppery taste hit his tongue. Hannibal placidly allowed it for a moment before realigning their lips so he could lick into Will’s mouth and taste their combined flavors, a low, satisfied, trilling sound seeming to come from somewhere deep within his chest - one that Will returned with his own appreciative moan. 

 

Will wasn’t sure what he was expecting to happen. Maybe some kind of full-body jolt of electricity that coursed through him as the bond was fully realized. Maybe a sudden connection where he could be certain that he felt Hannibal in the very marrow of his bones. Or perhaps tentacles sprouting from his body, turning him into an octopus creature as Hannibal was (which reminded him to ask Hannibal later about how, exactly, this would affect their lives. Where would they live, when humans really weren’t compatible with a life lived underwater?).

 

None of that happened, of course. Will was only saved from crushing disappointment by the beaming smile that Hannibal gave him when they separated - both of them out of breath, now that Hannibal was out of the water and no longer had an unfair advantage. 

 

“Is it...did it work?” Will asked anyway, a tentative, yet hopeful smile on his face. 

 

“Mmm, yes, I daresay it has.” 

 

Will frowned slightly, wondering if he ought to let Hannibal know. 

 

“What is it, darling?” Hannibal asked preemptively, seeing the discontent on Will’s face. 

 

“I...don’t think I feel any different?” Will said, worried that perhaps this was just another way he was broken. No matter, it didn’t change the fact that he was attracted to Hannibal and even if they didn’t get cool supernatural relationship perks, Will was resolved not to care. After all, he never thought he’d find someone who enjoyed his presence enough to want a relationship, let alone some kind of magical connection.

 

“I am told that is not unusual.” Hannibal assured him. “It is often a gradual transition, especially for your kind. The human mind is extremely resilient, and able to undergo the rewiring of synapses that allow the connection to form. However, it can take time.” 

 

Will nodded, that made sense, and it made him feel less terrible about it all. “But it happens instantly for you?” He inferred. 

 

“In a sense, but it will take some time for mine to complete as well.” Hannibal reassured him, holding him closer. 

 

“What do you feel?” Will whispered against his chest.

 

“A deepened intimacy.” Hannibal said. “As if a part of you now resides within me, and I in you.” 

 

Will couldn’t help but blush, in part because of the path his mind wandered down. 

 

“Oh, beautiful boy...” Hannibal sighed, “Your mind is a magnificent thing. I am enthralled with it already, I can only imagine what it shall be like once we are perfectly in harmony.” Hannibal said. “But even now you divine meanings from my words, your body responding so receptively to mere suggestions...” He murmured, a tentacle brushing against Will’s cock, which seemed to be quite valiantly attempting to rise once more. 

 

Will exhaled a shuddering breath, “Hannibal...” 

 

“Yes, Will? What would you like?” He prompted.

 

“Anything...” Will whispered, rocking against Hannibal for more friction. 

 

“Mmm, would you allow me to explore you? To caress you, tease you, bring you to climax as many times as possible until the sun peeks over the horizon?” 

 

If Will hadn’t been hard before, he certainly was now. How could he not, when Hannibal’s voice spoke such obscenities? Such delightful suggestions that went straight to Will’s libido. Never before had someone affected him like this. Unable to speak, Will simply nodded rather eagerly, lying flat on his back as Hannibal began to move over him. 

 

“That’s it, simply allow me to have my way with you.” Hannibal crooned, his torso settling between Will’s knees - raised and spread by tentacles wrapped around ankles and thighs. Will felt so exposed like this, but Hannibal’s eyes as they examined him were kind, yet hungry for him. Will was able to put away his self-consciousness for the moment in the face of such abject adoration. 

 

Hannibal leaned over him, sliding hands up Will’s belly a moment before his mouth followed, trailing sucking kisses that made Will jerk with laughter. 

 

“Ticklish?” Hannibal asked, though the answer was obvious. He didn’t let up, kissing up unblemished skin, his own skin just a shade cooler than Will’s - probably the only thing that kept him from feeling overheated and sweaty, even while covered in Hannibal. 

 

Another two tentacles wrapped themselves around Will’s wrists - gently, never more than a suggestion as to where Hannibal wanted them - and drew them carefully up above his head, stretching him out for Hannibal’s perusal. 

 

“Beautiful...” Hannibal said, kissing across Will’s collarbones and up his neck, nuzzling behind his ear, before taking the lobe within his mouth and nipping gently, sharp teeth sending a shiver down Will’s spine.  

 

“Transcendent...” Hannibal praised, admiring the flush that had spread over Will’s chest and the rather dazed expression he wore already, though they had barely begun. 

 

So far, Hannibal had ignored Will’s cock, allowing him to grow harder from gentle caresses and kisses, rather than direct stimulation. Now, however, a tentacle wrapped around Will’s cock, stroking once, twice, the soft suckers providing an overwhelming texture Will had never experienced before. 

 

“Ohhhh oh fuck!” Will cried out, hips arching into the touch while Hannibal chuckled darkly and the tentacle slid down to wrap around the base of Will’s cock, preventing him from actually coming, something that Will realized with a mournful whine. 

 

“Shhh, all in due time, my darling.” Hannibal smiled, the tentacles wrapped around Will’s legs pulling them further up until Will was exposed to him entirely. 

 

“Are you... are you going to fuck me?” Will asked, his voice barely a whisper, unsure if he was more scared or excited. 

 

“Would you like that?” Hannibal asked him. “We need not, if you are uncomfortable with the idea.” 

 

“No, no! I’m not uncomfortable!” Will hurried to clarify. “I just...I’ve never...” 

 

“I wouldn’t dream of hurting you, Will. We’ll go slow, if you’d like.” Hannibal soothed him, a hand brushing back the curls from his forehead. 

 

Will nodded eagerly. “Do you have a- I mean, um. Will you use your tentacles?” He asked. 

 

“I could, yes. However, if the idea discomfits you, I could use my fingers...my tongue...” Hannibal suggested lasciviously. 

 

Will blushed, “Oh god...uh. Anything’s fine, really. I just...I want to feel you.” He murmured. 

 

“Mmm, then feel me, you shall.” Hannibal assured him. “Fear not, there will be time enough to explore every possible permutation of our pleasure.” 

 

And with that, Hannibal descended on Will’s mouth as a slim tentacle began to tease his balls, down to his perineum, until it was pressing lightly against his entrance. Will reflexively clenched, but Hannibal didn’t seem to mind, content to play with the rim for as long as needed until Will relaxed. 

 

A tentacle draped across Will’s chest, two suckers aligning perfectly with Will’s nipples and undulating in a way that teased them into a pebbled hardness. Will could only moan into Hannibal’s mouth. 

 

The slender little tentacle pressing against Will’s rim seemed to leak some kind of lubricant because a moment later it was pressing inside of him triumphantly, thickening almost as soon as it had passed the tight ring of muscle. It was still not much thicker than a single finger, but it soon swelled to double it’s size, stretching Will gradually. 

 

“Mmmm oh god, Hannibal...” Will moaned when they broke for air. “Oh fuck...I can feel it wiggling inside me...” 

 

Hannibal smirked, “Would you like another, Will?” He asked. “I have a great many, ready at your disposal.” 

 

Will nodded, the curls that Hannibal had smoothed out of the way, falling back in his face as they had before. His nerves already felt raw, exposed, but Will still craved more. There were countless tentacles that caressed his skin, seemingly content just to slide against him, and Will felt so consumed already, completely surrounded by Hannibal. 

 

Happy to comply, Hannibal slid a very thin tentacle against Will’s rim, pressing it in in increments. As soon as it had wiggled it’s way inside of Will’s body, it twined around the other tentacle, both swelling and stretching Will as they began to move in unison. At first, Will’s mind couldn’t quite process what was happening, but soon he felt them thrusting inside him simultaneously, like he was being fucked by a thick, spiral cock. 

 

The thought made Will moan all the harder, and clench down around them involuntarily. They hadn’t even properly targeted his prostate, and he was already a squirming mass himself. 

 

More tentacles found their home between his legs, hooking just inside his rim and teasing the muscle open even further, holding him open for the two thrusting tentacles. 

 

It was strange, then, when he felt human fingers play with the tip of his cock - wet and leaking in its confinement. Will bucked his hips to meet Hannibal’s hand, panting as Hannibal slid down his body to wrap his lips around the tip of his cock. 

 

Will could feel tears building in the corners of his eyes as the inescapable pleasure continued to mount. He felt so completely owned, like he finally belonged, that when the tentacles inside of him finally started to slide against his prostate, Will strained against his bonds with great, heaving sobs, his body unable to deal with the amount of pleasure it was being subjected to.

 

“Fuck! Please, Hannibal...oh god please...” He begged shamelessly, feeling against his cock the quirk of lips that meant Hannibal was smirking at him, entirely too smug for his own good. 

 

One of the tentacles within him slid out, only to have the remaining one swell to their combined girth and further, filling Will up so deliciously. It began to tease his prostate mercilessly, until Will was certain that he would come despite the tentacle wrapped so tightly around his cock. 

 

Just as he thought he would combust from pleasure, the tentacle that had staved off his orgasm released him at the same time that Hannibal sucked him down as deeply as he could and the tentacle inside him pressed against his prostate with singular focus. 

 

Will came with a throat-rending scream, pulling against each of his bonds as his body tensed and arched off of the pile of furs, Hannibal’s tentacles trembling in time with the pulses of his climax in a positive feedback loop of pleasure.   

 

Hannibal sucked him through his climax until Will was shivering and shuddering with overstimulation, too weak to protest with more than a pained whine. 

 

“Shh, that’s it...” Hannibal praised, sounding sated and out of breath as he released Will and extracted his tentacles from within Will, pulling him closer to his chest with them instead, a loose, yet enveloping embrace. 

 

Will clung to Hannibal with equal fervor. “I’m fine...” He answered Hannibal’s unasked question, which made Hannibal freeze with surprise. 

 

**_Will?_** He called with his mind. 

 

“Mmm, what?” Will answered out loud. 

 

**_I’m not speaking, Will._ ** Hannibal thought. 

 

“Yes you are, I can hear you.” Will yawned, more willing to sleep than continue the conversation. 

 

**_No, listen properly, Will._ **

 

“Too tired.” Will griped.  **_Just let me sleep, goddamit._ ** He thought absently. 

 

**_You can sleep after you realize what has happened._ ** Hannibal countered.  **_Think something absurd._ ** He said, thinking that would surely be the only way to get Will to realize. 

**_Hmmm, I wonder if Hannibal practiced deepthroating his own tentacles...._ ** Will thought obediently, the thought making him snicker a little. 

 

**_I most certainly did no such thing, Will._ ** Hannibal answered, more than a little scandalized.  **_That I would do something so obscene, so base..._ **

 

**_OH MY GOD YOU CAN READ MY MIND_ ** Will shouted mentally. 

 

**_There’s no need to yell, Will, it’s as mentally jarring as it would be if spoken aloud._ **

 

Will was fully awake now, sitting up and looking down at Hannibal with wonder and amazement. “Tell me what I’m thinking.” He demanded.  **_Pineapples_ ** .  

 

Hannibal levelled him an unimpressed look. “Pineapples, Will, really? That’s your test of veracity?” 

 

“Holy fuck.” 

 

“Indeed.” 

 

“How...how far do you think this works?” Will asked, trying not to think about how hard it would be to have his every thought broadcast for Hannibal’s pleasure. 

 

“It will likely be rather weak at first.” Hannibal answered. “Possibly limited by factors such as proximity and physical contact. But over time it will strengthen to the point where we may hear each other over great distances. Not that I am willing to test that particular limitation.” Hannibal said with a small smile. “But you mustn’t worry, Will. It may seem like an invasion of privacy, but my thoughts will be open to you just as much as the reverse.” 

 

“This...will take some getting used to...” Will chuckled nervously.  **_God, I hope I don’t think anything stupid._ **

 

**_Nothing you think could ever be stupid to me, Will._ **

 

**_Not even pineapples?_ ** Will’s internal voice conveying every bit of his spoken voice’s usual dry humor.

 

Similarly, Hannibal managed to communicate mental amusement, despite not thinking any specific words. It absolutely fascinated Will. 

 

“It is quite novel, is it not?” Hannibal asked, clearly elated. 

 

Will nodded. “It’s gonna be weird for me at first, but I mean...this is pretty great.” 

 

A tentacle reached up to lovingly caress the side of Will’s face, brushing curls behind his ear. An action that reminded Will of something else he’d been meaning to ask. 

 

“So you said your tentacles are like penises, right?” He asked bluntly. 

 

Hannibal levelled him an unimpressed look, and his thoughts followed along much the same vein. “I said no such thing.” Hannibal sighed. “I said that in the presence of one’s mate, they become rather prominent erogenous zones.” 

 

Will nodded, “So just your mate?” He asked. 

 

“Yes. They are sensitive, in the same way your fingertips are, but until touching or touched by one’s mate, they do not evoke an erotic response.” 

 

Will smirked then, moving over Hannibal slowly, like the sinewy movements of a jungle cat. “So what you’re saying then...” He murmured, hand sliding over Hannibal’s waist, and down to his hips, where human skin met the supernatural. “...is that I, and only I, have the ability to get you hot...” He whispered. 

 

Hannibal swallowed once, pupils visibly blown. “Yes, Will.” He agreed, voice soft and breath starting to come in faster little pants. 

 

The tentacle that had been caressing Will’s face slipped and brushed against the coarser hair of Will’s beard and the entire limb shivered delicately. Will smirked as an idea came to mind and he turned his face, latching onto the tip of the tentacle without warning, and sucking it into his mouth. 

 

Hannibal let out a low moan as Will suckled the tip, teasing it with his tongue. “Oh Will...” Hannibal gasped, eyes fluttering shut. 

 

Will took hold of the delicate appendage to feed more of it into his mouth, sucking on it like it actually was a cock, pressing along the underside with his tongue and hollowing his cheeks eagerly. 

 

The taste was mild, just a vague saltiness that could have been ocean water, or Hannibal’s own secretions, Will couldn’t tell. The skin itself was so much softer like this as well, smooth like the finest satin, almost frictionless inside him, if not for the rows of suckers that ran down one side. 

 

Hannibal, however, looked like he might fall apart  just from this, from being cradled so carefully in Will’s mouth, hot and wet around him. The idea aroused Will, and only encouraged him, wanting to see Hannibal fall apart without Will’s pleasure entering directly into the equation. 

 

Hannibal’s mind was a confusing jumble of  **_WillWillWill..._ ** and a collection of trills in his mother tongue. It pleased Will to know that he was driving Hannibal so crazy that he completely lost his grasp on the English language. 

 

It wasn’t easy to tell when Hannibal reached his climax, since there wasn’t any gush of fluid to mark his completion. But Will was nothing if not an attentive lover, and paid close attention to the fine tremors and contractions of Hannibal’s tentacles, not just the one he sucked. 

 

There was a specific pattern to the tremors, the slight convulsions that signalled the peak of Hannibal’s pleasure, as well as the way his jaw went slack, his eyes glassy as he rode out waves of pleasure. 

 

“Ohhhh Will...” Hannibal moaned, Will smiling around the appendage in his mouth as he felt Hannibal come a moment after, sucking him through it until the tentacle began to extract itself from his mouth on its own. 

 

Will kissed Hannibal gently, languidly, curling against his side. Hannibal responded in kind, trading lazy kisses as his breathing slowed. 

 

“Good?” Will asked after a moment, grinning smugly. 

 

**_Mmmm_ ** Hannibal responded, content and pliant. 

 

“Do you have a refractory period?” Will asked after a moment. 

 

Hannibal eyed him warily. “No...but perhaps consecutive orgasms can be an experiment for another day.” He nearly pleaded, fine tremors still coursing through his muscles every now and again. 

 

“Too stimulated?” Will guessed correctly, and Hannibal nodded. 

 

“Very much so.” 

 

Will was more than happy to just enjoy holding Hannibal and being held by him, snuggling in post-coital bliss. “Sometimes this feels like fate. Destiny.” Will said quietly. 

 

Hannibal nodded, “I am confident that in every conceivable universe, we have found each other. That our bond, our love is a fixed point. The one thing that, across dimensions, never changes.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whaaaa? ANOTHER CHAPTER IN THE SAME WEEK????  
> 'Tis true, friends. It's but a lil chapter, but see, I'm trying to be a Responsible, Reliable Writer (TM) and have a publishing schedule?  
> So I had to publish this tonight (I'm cutting it hella close, I know), and thus begins:  
> FISHERMAN FRIDAYS! :D ♥  
> So yeah, expect updates every friday from now until the end! Also, tentative chapter count is up, too!  
> Enjoy, my lovelies!  
> As usual, all mistakes are mine, feel free to point out my typos :D
> 
> Edit: GDI, okay so technically I clicked "post" at exactly 11:59pm, but then AO3 was slow and didn't post it until midnight. SO, just pretend this was posted on Friday, okay? It's still Friday one timezone West of me, alright?   
> *clears throat*   
> anyway. yeah, expect future chapters on future Fridays. I promise they'll be posted earlier in the day XD

Hannibal hadn’t been exaggerating in his estimations of their lovemaking, and by the time the sun had risen past the horizon, they were both exhausted and utterly drained. Will lay boneless in Hannibal’s many arms, staring up at the cavern ceiling and wondering how he might have gotten to be so lucky.

 

A sleepy Hannibal snuffled against his neck, cuddling Will closer. Will was extremely grateful for Hannibal’s lowered body temperature. This would never be possible otherwise, but rather than feel hot and sweaty, Hannibal’s skin against his felt like flipping a pillow over to the cold, unused side, or slipping a leg out from underneath the covers. It was delightfully refreshing, and Will was happy that Hannibal didn’t seem to mind his own higher body temperature. If anything, it only made him want to cuddle Will closer, not unlike one would a teddy bear.

 

Will wondered what a life together might look like. He wasn’t sure that it would be possible to stay here, not so close to the village that would surely hunt Hannibal if they knew of him. Right now he was protected in shrouds of folklore and legend, but if anyone knew...

 

Still, Will wondered if he’d ever be able to tell Beverly. She was like a sister to him, his only other friend in the world, aside from Hannibal and his animals. Which reminded him, he needed to get home and feed his animals, but he was loathe to extract himself from Hannibal just yet.

 

He dozed for some time, slipping in and out of consciousness until he felt Hannibal stir next to him.

 

“Mmm, good morning, I think.” Will greeted, lifting one of the hands that was wrapped around his waist and kissing Hannibal’s knuckles. He turned in his arms and offered him an earnest, pleased smile that Hannibal returned easily.

 

“Good morning, Will.” Hannibal returned, his voice rougher from sleep, sending shivers down Will’s spine. “I trust you slept well?”

 

He nodded. “Better than I have in years, actually.” He admitted.

 

Hannibal seemed to preen at this, pleased that he could have such an effect on his mate.

 

Mate. They were mates.

 

The knowledge was still so surreal to Will, especially since it was hard for him to fully grasp what it meant. Still, there was a possessive overtone that appealed to Will’s underlying desire to belong.

 

“Are you hungry, darling?” Hannibal asked.

 

“A little.” Will said, but when Hannibal started to let him go, he immediately regretted it, clinging onto him and keeping him in the fur nest.

 

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to feed you from here.” Hannibal teased him. “My tentacles may extend, but not quite that far.”

 

“I’ll starve, it’s okay.” Will grinned, waiting for Hannibal to lay back down before slackening his hold on him.

 

“I’m afraid I simply cannot abide that, Will.” Hannibal smiled. “What kind of mate would I be, allowing you to starve?”

 

The question brought butterflies to Will’s stomach which he tried to quell. Honestly, he was rapidly approaching middle-age, there was no reason to be blushing like a teenager. He was a grown-ass man.

 

“Come.” Hannibal beckoned. “We needn’t be parted.”

 

Will accepted the compromise, allowing Hannibal to help him up and then they headed to the kitchen, hands never leaving the other.

 

It was almost nauseatingly sweet, how they were with each other, but Will made an effort not to think about it. He didn’t want his own insecurities to sabotage what had quickly become the best thing in his life. For the first time, Will allowed himself to act without censure, to touch without second-guessing himself, to feel comfortable to bask in Hannibal the same way he was clearly basking in Will. It was...liberating.

 

Breakfast was a leisurely affair, but all too soon Will was clambering back on board his boat and bidding Hannibal farewell. “I’ll see you out.” Hannibal had said, which meant that he would swim alongside Will for a ways, only to wave at him at a safe distance before he got too close to shore and the possibility of other people

 

Will missed Hannibal instantly, but there was precious little he could really do about it. They would see each other again soon.

 

They had come to realize that yes, the limiting factor on their telepathy was, indeed, touch, and the sudden absence of Hannibal from his mind was like being doused with a bucket of cold water, and Will shivered in the full warmth of the mid-morning sun. Soon.

 

Soon.

 

\-------

 

Will wasn’t surprised to see Beverly waiting for him. With each moment away from Hannibal, more and more trepidation creeped in. It wasn’t that Will was having second thoughts. No, there was no way for him to lie to himself and try to say that he didn’t completely and irrevocably want Hannibal. The problem lay in how he would possibly justify this to Beverly. He didn’t particularly care about anything or anyone else’s opinions, but hers was important to him.

 

“Will, where the hell have you been?” She asked, not even sounding angry as he’d expected, just sad and resigned almost. She’d been sitting on his dock, swinging her bare feet into the water as he’d approached. Now she followed him up the stairs to his house and Will held the door open for her courteously.

 

“I’m sorry. Come in.” He beckoned. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

 

“No, Will.” She said curtly. “I thought you were coming by yesterday. You always do. But you never showed up. I was worried.”

 

Will sighed and nodded, scratching the back of his head awkwardly as he tried to find some way to tell Beverly about where he’d been.

 

“I’m sorry. I genuinely forgot what day it was. I uh, I’ve had an interesting few days since I last saw you. Um. I don’t think you’d really believe me if I told you.”

 

Beverly narrowed her eyes at him, but took a seat on his overstuffed couch. “I’m listening.” She said, and Will could see just how hurt she was and how worried he’d made her. He felt terrible for that, he’d never thought himself as a good friend and had always tried to make up for it any way he could. He’d have a lot of making up to do this time.

 

Will took a seat on the sturdy little coffee table in front of the couch, his knees almost brushing Beverly’s. He leaned his weight on his elbows, head ducked in shame and repentance.

 

“Okay, so I’m going to start at the beginning, alright? And uh. I’m just going to say this now - I lied to you, and I’m sorry that I did, but I thought it was necessary at the time. But I should have told you.”

 

This didn’t comfort Bev at all, and instead she frowned, partially in confusion, and partially with a low, simmering anger.

 

“That night that I went out looking for the “sea monster”...I told you I didn’t find anything. That was a lie.”

 

Beverly’s eyes widened, “What happened?”

 

“I knocked my boat against the rocks while I was searching the water, and I had to pull into a cavern with calmer waters to try and make repairs.” Will explained, and she nodded, this was consistent with the story he’d told her. “The repairs went well, but when I resurfaced, I hit my head on an overhanging rock and lost consciousness.”

 

“That...would have killed you. You would have drowned. Who, or what, pulled you out?” She asked. Will had known she’d start connecting the dots, she was sharp - it was one of the reasons Will liked her so much.

 

“His name is Hannibal.”

 

“Someone else was in those caves?” She asked, skeptically.

 

“He lives there. He...is neither fully human nor fully animal. He is something entirely other.”

 

He could see that Beverly believed him, or rather, didn’t think he was lying. But he could also see that she was having difficulties grasping the concept.

 

“Is he...merfolk?” She asked. “Selkie?”

 

Will shook his head. “No, he’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen or heard of. Imagine if a merperson were merged with an octopus or squid, rather than a fish.”

 

Clarity shone on Beverly’s face as she came to understand. “And he saved you?”

 

“Yes. I owe him a life debt.” Will explained, knowing that this would help justify his actions in her eyes. “Well, technically two life debts, but that’s a different story.”

 

“That’s...what a terrible creature to be beholden to, Will. He’s been massacring half the village!” She exclaimed.

 

Will nodded, “I know. But in his mind, the fishermen have been purposefully encroaching on his territory. He only eats the ones that round the coast towards his home. The others he leaves be.” Will said, and he was...mostly sure that was true. He’d seen the glint of amusement in Hannibal’s eyes, and he was fairly certain that if a certain...whimsy struck, Hannibal would likely eat anyone he cared to.

 

“That’s...barbaric. Yet, somehow understandable. We don’t wander into a bear’s territory and wonder why we were mauled. We learn to avoid predators we are no match against.” She said slowly, trying to rationalize it. “But usually they aren’t capable of rational thought, like humans. Unless this Hannibal is more animal than man?” She asked.

 

Will shook his head. “No. He reasons like you or I. He is only animalistic in his hunting and...lower appearance.”

 

“Will.” Beverly said very seriously. “You know what Jack will say. He will want him hunted.”

 

Will squeezed his eyes shut. “I can’t allow that, Bev.”

 

“Because of your debt? Or something else?” She asked after a moment, entirely too insightful.

 

Will paused, considering. If she reacted badly, he could be back on the open water and warn Hannibal before Jack and his men could reach them. He was confident in this.

 

“Both. But mostly something else.”

 

Beverly nodded slowly like she’d expected the answer. “You were with him last night?” She asked.

 

“I am with him...as frequently as I am able.” Will admitted frankly.

 

“What is he to you?”

 

Will swallowed.

 

“...Everything.”

 

Beverly said nothing, but her eyes had lost the edge of accusation and suspicion that they’d carried thus far. She leaned forward and began to unbutton Will’s shirt. The action was almost clinical, a search for evidence. Will remembered the puckered little suck bruises - from Hannibal’s mouth as much as his tentacles - that littered his chest...and _other places_.

 

Beverly raised an eyebrow as the rows of red and purple little bruises came into view. Two very strategically and unmistakably placed over his nipples.

 

“Well.” She said, releasing his shirt and sitting back with a sigh. “I don’t know what to say.”

 

Will held very still, tense and poised to leap into action at a moment.

 

“A part of me is really pissed at you, Will. Because yeah, you lied to my face. Repeatedly. And apparently you’re sleeping with the monster that’s been eating our neighbors. He’s been...orphaning children, Will. Families are going to go hungry because of him, and I don’t know if there’ll be enough food this winter.” She shook her head and looked away. “But...I’m also your friend, and I care about you. I can see how hard this was for you to tell me, and I appreciate your honesty, delayed as it was. You care for him a lot, don’t you?”

 

Incapable of speech, Will nodded.

 

“Yeah, I thought as much. You’d have to, to allow someone to get so close to you, so fast.” She sighed.

 

“It...it feels like fate, or destiny.” Will said in a very quiet voice.

 

“William Bartholomew Graham, when did you start believing in destiny?” Beverly teased, and Will didn’t even bother to correct her about his middle name this time.

 

“I don’t know...I guess sometime after Hannibal entered my life.” He shrugged.

 

Beverly smirked, “I think I need to meet him. I need to meet the man who’s turned you into a gigantic sap.”

 

Will blushed, suddenly feeling too exposed, and started buttoning up his shirt. “Are you sure?” He asked.

 

Beverly nodded. “Look, I’m not super thrilled about this, Will. Don’t mistake me being a supportive friend for me condoning the actions of your fishy boyfriend, okay? But I can’t let you run off with the Kraken without meeting him and making sure that if he doesn’t treat you right, the next time he sees me, will be at the other end of my harpoon.”

 

“Bev, you don’t _own_ a har-”

 

“I will gut him, Will. If he hurts you, I will hunt his slimy ass down and gut him.” She promised, deadly serious, and despite the improbability of it, Will believed her. She’d surely find a way.

 

“Alright...I’ll talk to him, and arrange a meeting?”

 

“You do that.” She agreed. Seeing Will still a little anxious, she added, “And Will? I won’t tell Jack. If he finds out, it won’t be from my mouth. But...do you think you can get fish boy to move his operation down the coast, maybe? I don’t think we can handle any more losses this year.”

 

Will shrugged, unsure. “I don’t know if he’ll agree to that, but I’ll ask him. At the very least he needs to be more discreet. I...really don’t want him discovered.”

 

Beverly rolled her eyes, “That’s really _not_ what I meant, Will. I’d rather he wasn’t eating our people at all, discreetly or otherwise.”

 

“Right, right.” Will agreed hastily, averting his eyes awkwardly.

 

They sat in silence for a few moments, but it wasn’t as awkward as Will would have thought, given what they’d just discussed. Beverly eventually broke the silence with a snicker.

 

“All these years you’ve never entered courtships or even entertained the possibility of marriage...who knew that when people joked that you would marry the sea, they’d be right after all?”

 

Will blushed impossibly harder. “I’m glad this is amusing to you.” He deadpanned.

 

“You’ve got to tell me everything, though. What’s it like?”

 

“What’s what-? Oh. No! Absolutely not!” Will exclaimed, scandalized.

 

“Oh c’mon, Will! I tell you all about James and Brian! Spare a couple details, help a sister out!” She giggled.

 

“Beverly....” Will whined. “I’ve never _asked_ for details about your sex life!”

 

“Okay, okay, but...how many tentacles does he have?” She asked.

 

Will sighed, resigned to answering questions until Beverly felt she’d extracted enough information from him. “I don’t know. A lot? More than an octopus, but I haven’t counted.”

 

Beverly narrowed her eyes, but accepted the answer. “And...how thick are they?”

 

“Bev...”

 

“It’s a valid question!”

 

“They’re...proportional.”

 

“Oh come on! What does that even _mean_?!”

 

“You’ll get to see for yourself when you meet him...”

 

“Okay but...but did he...did he put them _inside-_?”

 

“ _-BEVERLY_!”

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy Fisherman Friday! :D  
> See? Told you guys I'd post it earlier in the day this time! I apologize to any European readers (and basically anyone not in North/South America), I know these are technically Fisherman Saturdays for y'all ♥   
> Anyway, I hope you like this! As always, all mistakes are mine, feel free to point out my typos! ♥  
> Enjoy! :D

Will fell into a rather somber mood after Beverly left him a few hours later. He sat outside on his porch, watching the sky darken over a calm ocean. He was surprisingly sober, needing to think clearly, without undue influence - from Hannibal or alcohol. 

 

Beverly had made some very good points, points that Will couldn’t ignore, but he also knew that he couldn’t be separated from Hannibal. Not now, and not ever. 

 

He sighed heavily, answers were not coming easily tonight. 

 

How would a life with Hannibal even work? With a mate, was his kind more migratory? Or would he be content to stay in one place? Would Will have to follow him by boat while he swam along the waves? Would they have to find a new cave? And how did one even outfit a cave for Hannibal’s preferences? 

 

Will knew he was just distracting himself from the actual problem by asking hypotheticals that weren’t relevant quite yet. He considered what Beverly had asked of him, and by extension, Hannibal. Would Hannibal ever agree to change his habits based solely on the whims of a human? Will was his mate, yes, not that he fully understood what that meant, but would that make a difference? Even without the mental connection, Hannibal would know that the request didn’t come from him, not really. But would he be willing to make compromises for the sake of a bit more stability and security in their lives? 

 

Their relationship was still so new, and there was so much that Will didn’t know, but he wanted to know. Wanted to learn. 

 

\---------

 

Will was still rather lost in his thoughts the next morning as he went out fishing, wondering how it could be that everything in his life had changed, and yet...everything was still so much the same. He passed the same fishermen, the same coast as he pulled away from the usual fishing grounds. Will couldn’t imagine living his life solely in the bay, never feeling the open ocean rocking him and his little sailboat, gliding peacefully along the currents. 

 

He heard Hannibal before he saw him, and he marvelled at how far their bond must have extended if already he could sense his mate approaching. As soon as Will began to hear the familiar siren song begin to play in his mind unbidden he started to strip down to his boxers. 

 

The song got louder the closer that Hannibal got to the fishing boat, and as soon as Will saw a flash of pale skin beneath the waves he jumped into the water without a second thought. 

 

Will felt Hannibal’s surprise through the bond a second before tentacles enveloped him and helped him to the surface.  **_Beautiful boy._ ** He heard and couldn’t help but grin, brushing the water from his face as he surfaced. 

 

**_Hey._ ** He greeted shyly, reaching for Hannibal who had risen to the surface along with him. Will raised a hand to push back the strands of hair from Hannibal’s forehead, still amazed that he was allowed this - casual touches and unfettered access to Hannibal. 

 

**_I could feel your distress yesterday evening._ ** Hannibal thought, and Will blushed at the lack of privacy, memories of his conversation with Beverly flashing through the connection. 

 

**_We can talk about it later._ ** Will suggested, almost pleading. When he was with Hannibal, it was so easy to just forget about the life Will lived without him, and Will liked that. He wanted to put it all past him, at least for a little while. 

 

In an effort to distract Hannibal, Will cupped the sides of his face and brought their lips together in a heated kiss. However, Will could still feel Hannibal’s amusement at his efforts. 

 

**_You realize that it is possible to multitask, yes? Our mouths may be pleasantly occupied, but there is no reason for us to postpone our conversation..._ **

 

**_Shhhh, just mmmph..._ **

 

**_Eloquent, Will._ **

 

**_Mmmmmm, oh god your tongue..._ **

 

Will felt Hannibal’s resignation as he submitted to the kiss and stopped prying for the moment. Will knew it wasn’t over, and that was fine, he just wanted this first. There was a comfort in Hannibal’s embrace, in his presence, that Will had never felt anywhere else. He hadn’t realized just how much he craved it, needed it. 

 

He slid his hands across Hannibal’s ribcage, feeling gently where Hannibal’s gills fluttered delicately against the water. His mate was a marvel in every way, and Will was so grateful for him, could never imagine ever getting enough of this closeness and intimacy - intrusive as the telepathy sometimes was. 

 

It was fortunate that Hannibal was more than capable of keeping them both afloat, since Will had long ago forgotten to tread water, and was held up completely by Hannibal. But honestly, with the way his clever tongue slid against Will’s, it was no wonder Will’s mind couldn’t concentrate on anything but. 

 

Eventually Will had to break for air, much to his chagrin. He nipped playfully at Hannibal’s lips as he caught his breath. 

 

“Fuck...” He panted. “I wish I had gills too...that’d make this so much easier.” He grinned, pressing adoring kisses to the column of Hannibal’s throat, salty with seawater. He didn’t see the way Hannibal’s eyes twinkled knowingly, but he did feel the thoughtful hum that rumbled from his chest. 

 

“Pleasant as this is, Will, I believe we ought to discuss what’s on your mind.” Hannibal suggested gently, carding his fingers through Will’s wet curls, plastered to his head as they were. 

 

“Fiiiiiine.” Will sighed, flirting with outright petulance. Hannibal just smiled fondly. They both clambered onboard and Will steered them up the coast, out of sight of any potential fishermen. 

 

“Your friend Beverly came to visit you.” Hannibal prompted when Will was silent for too long. 

 

“She did, yeah.” Will agreed. Moving from the helm around to the bow where Hannibal was reclining against the railing, head thrown back and eyes closed, tentacles spread as he sunbathed. 

 

A twitch of lips showed how Hannibal felt about Will’s reluctance to speak. “Will.” 

 

“She wants to meet you.” Will said, trying to deflect from the other, arguably more important part of her visit. He took a seat on the ground near Hannibal, watching the pale column of his throat as droplets of water slid down its smooth surface.

 

“Does she now.” Hannibal mused, ignoring Will’s eyes and the blatant lust he was projecting. With this proximity it was impossible not to notice. “And would you like for me to meet her?” He asked politely. 

 

Will shrugged. “I can’t decide, honestly. I don’t know how she’d react. And...a very selfish part of me wants to keep you all to myself anyway.” He admitted.

 

Hannibal smiled softly, “I understand the urge. I too, have felt it keenly. The desire to pluck you from your life and keep you within my clutch, safe from any potential danger.” 

 

Will wondered how he managed to make it sound so goddamn romantic when he was basically admitting to wanting to kidnap Will. Well, theirs was hardly a typical situation, was it? 

 

“I appreciate your restraint.” Will said dryly. “I don’t take too well to being caged.” 

 

“Naturally.” Hannibal agreed, opening his eyes and bringing his head forward to look at Will properly. “It’s why I am able to put aside these urges and act rationally.” 

 

Will nodded. “Still, I don’t know how she’d actually react. She’s...kind of pissed at you, actually.” 

 

Hannibal raised his eyebrows. “Have I eaten a loved one?” He asked, his concern almost genuine. 

 

“Not...not that I know of, no. I’m sure I would have heard about it if you had.” Will said. 

 

“Her grievances with me  _ are  _ about my diet, correct? Or is she more upset that I occupy so much of your time now?” Hannibal asked, genuinely curious. 

 

“Honestly? Both. But mostly your diet. She’d rather you hunt...someplace else.” He said tentatively, avoiding eye contact.

 

“Hannibal tilted his head a fraction as if considering it. “And you, Darling Will? What would you have me do?” 

 

Will sighed. “That’s the problem. I’m...honestly not attached to the village. Just Beverly and her husbands. But I’d rather you were a little more...discreet? I just...I don’t want anyone else to discover you and begin some kind of, of _ witch hunt _ .” Will sneered as he imagined it. 

 

“Your kind are remarkably...aggressive towards things they do not understand.” Hannibal agreed. “So ready to attack, before they even know whether or not they have a chance to defeat their enemies. Should they come for me, dispatching them would be no hardship, I assure you, Will.” 

 

Despite himself, Will smiled at Hannibal’s self-assurance. “I know. And at worse, you could retreat into the bowels of the sea. But...” He paused, overcome with a sudden wave of self-consciousness. 

 

“But what, dear one?” 

 

“But...I can’t follow you, and I don’t want you to go someplace I can’t follow.” He said quietly, frowning and jumping up to busy himself with the ropes that held the sails in place, checking that they were still properly tightened. They were. 

 

A cautious tentacle wrapped itself around Will’s ankle as he faced away from Hannibal, bringing his attention back. “Will.” Hannibal said very seriously, drawing Will closer. He pulled him into his lap, settling Will sideways against his chest as his tentacles cradled him closer and provided comfortable support while not being too constricting. 

 

“Hannibal?” Will asked tentatively. 

 

Hannibal nuzzled beneath his jaw, breathing him in. “My dearest Will, my mate, my beloved...” He murmured. “I shall never venture where you cannot follow, I swear it.” He vowed, pulling away to look Will in the eyes. 

 

Will met his gaze. 

 

“Do you believe me?” He asked, very seriously. 

 

Will nodded, and the bond between them conveyed his assent as well. 

 

“Come hell or high water, Will. Nothing shall keep us apart.” 

 

Will relaxed against Hannibal’s chest, comforted by Hannibal’s confidence. Hannibal continued to stroke his hair as he could see how much Will liked it, arching into the touch like a cat. 

 

Will was hesitant to bring up the issue of Hannibal eating the village again, but in the end he didn’t have to, because through their mental connection, Hannibal sensed it anyway. 

 

“Ahh. Tell me Will, does my diet truly bother you?” 

 

Will frowned at the question, shaking his head. “No, of course not. That’s what you eat. You’re a predator, I wouldn’t begrudge you your meals. Besides, the villagers you’ve killed were trespassing, weren’t they?” 

 

Hannibal nodded. “They were, yes. But that does not mean I don’t find human flesh especially delicious, either. It is something like a delicacy, in my opinion. Most humans are exceedingly discourteous, acting as if they own the land, the seas, and everything therein. To consume them is to give them a purpose they otherwise lacked.” 

 

Will took a moment to digest this. He’d suspected as much, but to have his musings confirmed took some time to process. “Would you at least...make sure no bodies wash up on shore, then?” Will asked, knowing full well that it wasn’t even close to what Beverly wanted. But it was what would keep them safe. The people that ventured to Hannibal’s lair could not be allowed to live, lest they return to the village with dangerous tales. No, this was the best way. The sailors would simply...disappear at sea. It didn’t inspire rage and revenge like murder would. 

 

Hannibal watched Will adoringly, mouth quirking in amusement. After a moment, he nodded. “I can certainly do that, beloved.” He agreed. 

 

Feeling like pressing his luck, Will continued, “And would you lie to Beverly about it, too? Tell her you’ll stop altogether? I just don’t want her to worry...or hate me.” 

 

Hannibal soothingly stroked Will’s back with a tentacle. “You are unique in your position and ability to see and accept what most of your kind would reject solely on principle. Beverly is family to you and I would not want to cause division between you. For you, Will, I will tell her what she wants to hear.” Hannibal promised and Will was so relieved that he pressed their lips together once more. 

 

The newness of their relationship and the fierceness of their passion meant that they were both aroused almost instantly, lust coursing through them like a scorching wildfire. Instead of pulling Will to straddle him chest-to-chest, Hannibal had a slightly different idea, swinging Will’s left leg out to straddle him back-to-front, Will’s neck bowed so prettily to keep their lips locked together. 

 

Like this, Hannibal had full access to Will, and he took advantage immediately, running large, sun-warmed palms down Will’s chest, pausing to tweak his nipples before sliding down the ridges of his ribcage. 

 

Will huffed a laugh as Hannibal’s touch tickled him, his belly jerking involuntarily. “So sensitive you are...” Hannibal murmured, trailing lips down Will’s neck, sucking a bruise along a prominent tendon as Will allowed his head to fall lazily back against Hannibal’s shoulder, utterly relaxed in the presence and embrace of his mate. 

 

Without warning, Will snatched up a tentacle and began to suck on it softly, teasingly, and smirked as Hannibal’s whole body shuddered.  **_You’re just as sensitive, don’t even front._ ** Will thought with a mental smirk. 

 

Hannibal retaliated by quite obviously palming the growing bulge in Will’s boxers - almost completely dried now, save for the ever-growing damp spot along the front. Will moaned around his mouthful, eagerly canting his hips upwards into Hannibal’s grasp. 

 

Hannibal released Will’s neck as tentacles wrapped around his thighs and calves, lifting him up out of Hannibal’s lap just enough room for Hannibal to slide his boxers down, stowing them beneath the coils of his tentacles for later. He had no intention of returning them. 

 

Now completely disrobed and exposed, Hannibal settled Will back in his lap, but kept his legs raised and pulled toward his chest. Hannibal set to work, then, pumping Will’s cock with his hand, while slim little tentacles began to prod at his hole. 

 

Will hummed, teasing the tentacle he was servicing, happy to suck it and tease the sensitive little suckers with his tongue - and Will was  _ very  _ good with his tongue. 

 

There was just something about being able to fit part of Hannibal into his mouth that appealed to Will. Something about such a dangerous predator being vulnerable enough to allow Will’s teeth anywhere near his anatomy. But there was also the knowledge that Hannibal was so much stronger, capable of forcing the appendage down WIll’s throat if he truly desired to, asphyxiating Will as he crawled down his esophagus. It shouldn’t have been hot, but Will’s cock throbbed in Hannibal’s grip anyway. 

 

**_Look at you, Will. So wonderfully spread open for me, so pliant..._ ** Hannibal crooned and Will flushed, imagining what he must look like like this - sprawled across the deck of his sailboat, legs spread and completely at the mercy of the tentacles that were easing their way into his body. 

 

Picking up where Will’s thoughts left off, Hannibal continued.  **_Imagine if someone were to pass by, some wayward sailor who sailed just a bit too far. Perhaps curious... Tell me, Will, Do any of the fishermen have spyglasses?_ **

 

Will whimpered around the tentacle as he imagined it, some sailor wondering what Will’s boat was doing on the water without any lines cast and choosing to come investigate. Will could almost imagine anonymous eyes on him as Hannibal pleasured him, the tentacles that had been prodding at his hole now properly fucking him, but not yet brushing against his prostate. So Hannibal wanted this to last longer, well, Will had no problem with that. 

 

**_That’s it darling, what would they think of you? Would they be horrified? Jealous? Aroused by your wanton display? Look at you, writhing on my tentacles as if to mimic them. Are they so deep within you that they control your every movement?_ ** Hannibal teased. 

 

Will grazed the tentacle in his mouth with his teeth warningly, and he felt more than heard Hannibal’s warm chuckle at his small rebellion. The image stuck, though, Will imagining Hannibal as a puppeteer, and found that he was less bothered by the idea than he cared to admit. 

 

“Interesting...” Hannibal murmured against the shell of Will’s ear, making him shiver with the warm puff of breath against sensitive skin. 

 

**_Don’t even go there._ ** Will warned half-heartedly. 

 

**_One day, perhaps, we may see how far I am able to reach within you, but not today, beloved._ ** Hannibal reassured him. 

 

When another tentacle started to wriggle against Will’s lips, he knew that Hannibal was getting close, or at least, aroused enough to want to come. Will smiled, and loosened his lips so it could join the other that had already been warmed by Will’s mouth. 

 

The tentacles sliding in and out of Will’s hole had begun to spiral in the way that had driven Will crazy before, sliding against his prostate with purpose now. But where last time there had been two thicker tentacles within him, now instead there had to have been at least a dozen. They were much thinner, but Will could feel the writhing mass inside of him, the tips moving independently even as they coordinated their thrusting. It was an entirely new sensation and it had Will quivering almost immediately. 

 

Will trembled, his hands had been gripping Hannibal’s tentacles for purchase before and now they tightened their hold, almost bruising as Will’s muscles tensed, his toes curling with the relentless pressure against his prostate. 

 

Hannibal worried nibbling kisses across Will’s shoulders and collarbones, marking every inch of him that he could reach with his mouth. Will was still marked from the day before, the bruises not even begun to yellow, but Hannibal seemed insistent that Will never be without claiming marks dotting his skin like the constellations that Will would use to navigate the ocean. They were like his own personal constellations, guiding him back to Hannibal every time. 

 

**_Mmm, I shall never be far. You merely need to think of me, and I shall come to you._ ** Hannibal promised, thumb rubbing against the head of Will’s cock, spreading the precome beading at the tip.  **_You are exquisite._ ** He praised.  **_I would have no other._ **

 

Will nodded. **_Me too, oh god, me too... fuck, you fit me so well._ ** Will moaned. **_I want you in me all the time, fuck I miss you so much when I go home..._ **

 

**_I know, darling, I feel the same. Soon, beloved, we won’t be parted._ **

 

**_Yes! Fuck, yes. I want that, I never wanna go, I want you to stay..._ ** Will agreed desperately, back arching as he grew closer and closer to his climax. 

 

**_Fuck Hannibal...I’m gonna...I’m so close oh god.._ ** He babbled, the pleasure that coursed through his body suffusing the link between them as well, Hannibal shuddering as the feedback loop overwhelmed his senses. It was the first time they had sex with the connection as a factor from the beginning, and it was every bit as overwhelming as Hannibal had thought it would be, every limb shaking, almost vibrating with energy. 

 

Every touch of Will’s skin felt like a touch of his own, and even though Hannibal’s anatomy was very different, every brush of Will’s prostate or squeeze of his cock activated the pleasure centers of Hannibal’s brain and utterly flooded them with sensation, some of which Hannibal could barely even process. 

 

Of course, Will could feel the utter rapture that consumed Hannibal and felt his pleasure as well as the pleasure that was cascading over him. Each wave seemed to magnify in intensity, every sensation amplified every time it passed through their bond, ratcheting up and up, out of control, until Will’s vision went white as he came, head thrown back as he cried out in abandon. 

 

It seemed to last forever, the pleasure never subsiding as it passed between them in an endless loop. Will knew Hannibal had come as well, could tell by the sheer amount of pleasure cycling between them, and just as Will was wondering how long the pleasure would last, he blacked out. 

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Fisherman Friday/Salty Saturday, depending on your time zone!! :D   
> (a big thanks to ElectraRhodes for "salty saturdays"!)  
> This one's a more plot-forwarding chapter (oooh can you see the suspense build???)   
> I had more planned for the chapter, but it didn't quite fit the mood I was trying to express, so I'll have a longer update for you next week!   
> As usual, all mistakes are mine, and please feel free to point out typos ♥

Will awoke to Hannibal’s worried face hovering above his, and the sun significantly higher in the sky than he remembered it being.  **_What happened?_ **

 

Hannibal seemed relieved that he was awake and able to communicate. “I suspect that was our mental bond solidifying.” He said. “We had not yet experienced the heights of our pleasure while connected in such a way.” 

 

Will nodded as he absorbed the information, and winced as a jolt of pain seemed to shoot up the back of his neck to the base of his skull. “Fuck...” He groaned. 

 

“I had a similar headache when I awoke as well.” Hannibal agreed. “It should fade soon. Sitting up may help you.” 

 

Will winced, his limbs feeling leaden and unresponsive. It took some effort, and Hannibal’s help, to get himself to a more upright position, although he was mostly reclining against some of Hannibal’s tentacles, while the man himself sat almost in front of him. “So...what does it mean, exactly?” He asked when his head stopped spinning. 

 

“I believe we shall find out shortly when you return to your home, however, if I had to guess, I would say that our mental connection has strengthened. Likely to the point where our thoughts can be shared across larger distances.” 

 

“Wow...that’s...no more secrets I guess.” Will commented, thinking about how now Hannibal would be privy to every one of his thoughts, even the inappropriate or distasteful that sometimes crossed his mind.

 

“No more secrets.” Hannibal agreed. “But we are conjoined, Will. You can’t imagine that there is any part of you that would be off-putting to me.” He said, answering Will’s unvoiced concerns. “I would hope you feel the same, although I would understand if you needed more time to adjust.” He added gracefully. 

 

Will already knew that if he wasn’t balking at murder and cannibalism, there wasn’t likely to be anything in Hannibal’s mind that would repulse him. Plus, it had the added benefit of ensuring that neither could manipulate the other. 

 

“You are my equal, Will. I would not manipulate you...except perhaps for our mutual gain...” He teased, smirking lasciviously. 

 

Will blushed and rolled his eyes. “Is every time going to be that...intense?” He asked. 

 

Hannibal hummed as he considered this. “It is hard to say for certain, but I imagine that while the shock will fade, our minds will better learn how to process the information. New neural pathways will be constructed to accommodate for pleasure we cannot accurately translate, and the experience will become both more and less overwhelming.” 

 

“So what you’re saying is that...we won’t know for sure until we try again?” Will asked, eyebrow raised. 

 

“For the sake of discovery, I suppose we must.” Hannibal grinned. 

 

They found that yes, it was just as intense the second time, although Will managed to hold on to his consciousness. This was good because Will had promised Beverly he would meet her that afternoon. As much as Will would have liked to remain with Hannibal, he was comforted by the fact that he could still hear and feel Hannibal in his mind. It made him feel less alone. 

 

Beverly met Will in the woods with a picnic packed for them, near the stream Will sometimes frequented when he needed to clear his mind and craved the tranquility of the slow-moving current. 

 

“So...how’s your octo-lover?” Beverly teased. 

 

“He’s fine.” Will smiled. “I talked to him, by the way. He agreed. Any fishermen lost at sea will no longer be his doing.” 

 

She nodded thoughtfully, and sighed. “How do you know he isn’t lying to appease you?” 

 

It was a valid question, and Will was happy to have an answer. “We uh. We’re kind of connected. Telepathically.” 

 

She raised her eyebrows, “Are you serious?” 

 

“I’ve already told you about the mythical creature whose bed I share, why would I lie about telepathy?” 

 

“That’s...that’s a very good point.” She agreed. “Alright, so how’s that work? You can just talk to each other? Can you hear thoughts and feel emotions?” 

 

Will nodded. “Yeah, pretty much. Hannibal’s mind is pretty calm, though. And most of his thoughts are spoken in his native tongue, which sounds like music, almost. So I hear what’s directed at me, more often than not. I know he’s doing it on purpose so as not to overwhelm me too soon.” 

 

“Wow, so it just started?” 

 

“Yeah, it’s a fairly new development.” 

 

“Then how do you know he’s not lying if you can’t even understand half of his thoughts?” She prodded. 

 

“Because more than anything, I can feel his emotions. I can feel them almost like they were mine. I’d know if he was hiding something from me, or being dishonest.” Will explained. 

 

“Okay, fair enough.” Beverly said, letting the matter rest. 

 

It was true that Will had never had trouble reading people, and he often saw more than he wished to. It was one of the reasons he was avoided by many. One too many apt observations were enough to make a superstitious village wary. So it seemed a logical continuation that that aspect of his connection with Hannibal was heightened. 

 

“He agreed to meeting you, by the way.” Will added. “I won’t take you to his home, that’s sacred, but come with me tomorrow morning and he’ll join us on the water.” 

 

Beverly considered this. “And he’s not going to eat me, right?” She asked, only half teasing. 

 

“No. He wouldn’t dare.” Will grinned. 

 

\---------

 

It was clear that Beverly was nervous, even though Will suspected that a part of her didn’t even fully believe him. Will was also nervous, but for a much different reason. He genuinely wanted Hannibal to like Beverly. She had been his first and only friend for most of his life, and was the closest thing to family that Will had. 

 

**_I’m sure I’ll like her, Will. We share something very important in common._ **

 

**_What’s that?_ **

 

**_Our love for you._ **

 

Will blushed and tried to hide it, fussing with the sails and avoiding Beverly. 

 

**_That’s not fair! You can’t...you can’t just say that for the first time when I can’t even see you properly. I want to watch your lips move with the words..._ **

 

**_And see them, you shall. Fear not, my darling, I shall repeat those words to you, as frequently and as ardently as you desire._ **

 

“Are you talking to him right now?” Beverly asked, eyeing Will critically. 

 

The blush returned full-force. “Yeah...” He admitted. 

 

“Oooh! Is he telling you naughty things? He’s gotta be for you to be getting all blushy...” She teased. 

 

“Oh god, stop. You’d better behave or I’ll tell him to eat you.”

 

Beverly mock-gasped, “William Bartleby Graham! You wouldn’t  _ dare _ !” 

 

“Oh, I daresay he might. Our Will is a vicious one, though he may hide beneath a veneer of civility...” Hannibal said as he slowly pulled himself up the side of the boat. 

 

“Oh. My.  _ God _ . Oh my god. What the fuck, Will, you weren’t lying...” Beverly whipped around to stare at Hannibal, mouth agape. 

 

Will huffed, “You didn’t even believe me. Thanks a lot.” 

 

“No, I did...but...I don’t know what I was expecting...” She defended. “It’s kind of a lot to take in.” 

 

“My name is Hannibal, I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.” Hannibal greeted politely, extending a hand in her direction. 

 

As if in a daze, Beverly reached forward and took it, shaking his hand. “Beverly. And likewise.” 

 

“There, Will, see? A human with manners, what’s not to like?” Hannibal grinned. “I’m sure we’ll get along  _ swimmingly _ .” 

 

Beverly laughed and Will groaned, dragging a hand down his face. “Can we not do the puns?” 

 

“Why ever not, dear Will? Do they make you feel like a fish out of water?” Hannibal teased and Will glared. 

 

“Don’t tell me that you’re cool with the tentacles, but puns are where you draw the line?” Beverly asked. 

 

Will sighed, “I may as well resign myself to a lifetime of shitty humor.” 

 

Beverly whistled low. “A lifetime, huh? Y’all got it bad.” She observed. “So what, are you both going to get fish married? How does that even work?” 

 

Will really didn’t want to go down this line of questioning, but Hannibal seemed delighted. Will could feel how proud he was and couldn’t bring himself to ruin that. 

 

“As a matter of fact, Will and I have already bonded. Our mental connection is evidence of this.” 

 

“You got fish married and didn’t invite me to the wedding?” Beverly demanded, rounding on Will. 

 

He held his hands up in surrender. “Hey, hey...I would have but uh. It was kind of private?” 

 

Beverly’s eyes lit up in understanding. “Oooh... well as hot as that undoubtedly must have been, you get a pass this time, Graham.” 

 

“It was very romantic, I believe. Even by human standards.” Hannibal interjected, seemingly content to talk about their relationship. Will, having never been in a real relationship before, wasn’t sure how to feel about it. Part of him wanted to keep Hannibal all to himself and never let another soul know, but he had to admit that there was a certain amount of pride that came with the pleasure of showing of his relationship a little bit. The feeling only grew as he listened to Hannibal. 

 

“We mated in phosphorescent pools of water in the semi-dark, the cavern around us pitch-black, as if we were suspended in a galaxy all our own.” 

 

Beverly listened with rapt attention, since this was already more detail than she’d managed to pry out of Will. Hannibal’s eyes had turned glossy as he remembered the events that had transpired earlier that month. 

 

“Wow... that sounds beautiful...like another world, almost.” 

 

Will nodded, “Hannibal lives in a cavern that would not be out of place in a fairy tale.” Will agreed. “I have never seen anything like it.”  **_And it feels like home._ ** He added, watching as Hannibal’s eyes crinkled at the edges with pleasure. 

 

**You** **_are my home, Will._ ** Hannibal thought back, filling Will’s heart to the bursting with an emotion he didn’t yet want to name. Not until they were alone. 

 

“You guys won’t be able to stay here forever...” Beverly guessed, and Hannibal nodded. 

 

“Our position is a bit precarious at the moment, yes. I have a few options, but I still must discuss them with Will.” He explained.

 

“You’ll come back to visit, right? I mean, if you guys leave, it won’t be forever, right?” Beverly asked, frowning. Will could tell how heartsick it made her to think that she might never see him again. Truth be told, Will felt the same. 

 

“Of course we’ll come back for visits.” He assured her before Hannibal could speak. They’d find a way, he was sure of it. 

 

**_You needn’t worry, Will. I had not planned on keeping the two of you apart. Hannibal reassured him._ **

 

“Okay...” Beverly nodded, smiling.

 

“You’re taking this...really well.” Will commented. 

 

“I’m probably in shock. I’m sure I’ll freak out later in private.” She assured him. “I think maybe I’m compartmentalizing. It’s all kind of a lot to take in.” 

 

Well that was an understatement. 

 

When the sun dipped just below the horizon, Will obligingly dropped Beverly back on the shore. 

 

“You’re not coming?” She asked when he stayed on board. 

 

“No...I’m...”

 

“Going to spend the night with Hannibal?” She guessed. Correctly, going by Will’s shy smile. 

 

“Yeah.” 

 

“Alright, alright, don’t let me keep you.” She laughed, waving him off as he set sail once more, the path very familiar now. 

 

Beverly walked herself home, frowning when she saw Jack Crawford waiting outside for her. 

 

\----------

 

“Whatever you’re cooking smells delicious.” Will commented as he entered the caves. He didn’t see Hannibal right away, but he knew he’d be heard. 

 

“Thank you, Will. It is a simple crab pilaf, nothing terribly complicated.” He assured him. It still baffled Will that Hannibal was able to create such elaborate dishes, despite his kitchen literally being a cave. Will was lucky not to burn water. 

 

“Still better than anything I could do.” Will shrugged. “I usually just fry or bake fish and then hope I’ve got some kind of vegetable to go with it.” 

 

Hannibal smiled kindly as he brought out their plates. Will had already seated himself. “I would just as well fulfill my dietary needs by consuming prey raw. I prefer to elevate my meals beyond merely satiating hunger.” 

 

Will nodded, it made sense. Like with any other hobby, Hannibal took pleasure from the act of creation. 

 

“That is a somewhat pedestrian reduction of my motives, but yes.” Hannibal sighed. 

 

Will grinned, “Now you know what you’ve gotten yourself into.” He teased. “My thoughts aren’t always going to make you happy.” 

 

“Mmm, perhaps. But I cherish the connection nonetheless. Do you not, as well?” 

 

“I do. It’s taken some getting used to, but it makes me feel...less alone.” Will admitted. “And I haven’t had any nightmares lately, so I’ve been sleeping better than I have in years.” 

 

“I’m glad to hear that, Will.”

 

“I do have a question, though.” Will said in between bites. “You said there were several options about our...departure, that you wanted to discuss with me?” 

 

“Ah. Yes.” Hannibal said. “I am not certain it is the right time to discuss them.” 

 

Will felt his unease and frowned. “What has you so nervous? What could it possibly be?” 

 

Hannibal dabbed delicately at his mouth with his napkin. “Tell me, Will. How...attached are you to your humanity?” He ventured. 

 

Will’s eyes grew wide. “You’re not serious?” 

 

“Perfectly.” Hannibal replied, showing Will his understanding of the metamorphosis that was possible for Will to undertake. 

 

“That...would take some getting used to. But I’m not  _ opposed _ .” Will said carefully, and Hannibal could feel his sincerity and relaxed marginally. 

 

“Unfortunately all I have heard are whispers.” Hannibal said, and Will could feel a great sadness lurking in his mind. 

 

“What is it? Hannibal?” He asked, worried. He laid his hand on Hannibal’s and tried to communicate understanding and acceptance. 

 

“There is much information, folklore, legends that are meant to be passed down from parents to children in a mental connection similar to ours. However...when that connection is _disrupted_... Well. That leaves gaps in one’s knowledge.” 

 

Will frowned, a pool of dread curling in his gut. “Hannibal...what could break that kind of connection?” He asked, although he was sure he already knew the answer.  

 

“Death."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Fisherman Friday/Salty Saturday!!  
> This one's a little longer and answers a lot of questions I think. Yay exposition! Lol  
> Hope y'all enjoy it!  
> All mistakes are mine, please feel free to point out any typos ♥

_ “Hannibal...what could break that kind of connection?”  _

 

_ “Death.”  _

 

“What happened, Hannibal?” Will asked tentatively, knowing that the answer wasn’t going to be pretty. 

 

“Our kind have never been peaceful. From conception, we fight our siblings for dominance until only a few emerge victorious. Adulthood only increases the dangers, and beings older and larger than us will not hesitate to take a meal where they can.” Hannibal explained, his voice very grave. 

 

“My kind, undisturbed, will live for millennia. There is no death “by natural causes” for us. We kill or be killed. It is our way.” He said. “The time after a spawning is very vulnerable, both for parents and their young. We were found not long after, by beings much older than my parents. I do not know if any siblings of mine survived, but I think not. I escaped by pure chance, being small enough to hide in rock crevassess, not worth the effort of seeking out. I have avoided encountering more of my kind ever since, but I have not always succeeded.” 

 

Will’s brow furrowed in sympathy as he listened. Perhaps this was far too heavy a topic for dinner and Will regretted ever having brought it up, especially given the way Hannibal’s voice had gone flat and emotionless the further into the story he got. 

 

“Does your kind...keep literature? Some kind of written history, maybe?” Will asked tentatively, eager to get the topic off of death and loss. 

 

Hannibal’s face cleared somewhat and he nodded. “As far as I’m aware, yes. I have stumbled upon underwater ruins, temples and palaces that hold murals and carvings and tell the tales of times when we coexisted with the Mer. I believe at one point in time, we ruled them, and they kept our histories and legends. But other than what the Mer have recorded, I have seen nothing.” 

 

Will nodded, fascinated but trying to contain his curiosity. It was rare for Hannibal to open up about the magical and supernatural world, but every time he did, Will drank it up like water in a desert. 

 

“Alright, so we know that transformation is possible, but the  _ how  _ is a little iffy...” He surmised and Hannibal nodded. 

 

“There is someone who might know. We...do not speak often, but she has never been openly hostile towards me, nor I her. We have a treaty of sorts. If it comes to it, we can go to her. It is a ways away, however, and I would not leave you here alone.” 

 

Will smiled, “Thank you. Well if we can’t figure it out, then yeah, we’ll go together.” 

 

Hannibal nodded, and began collecting the dishes from their finished dinner. 

 

Later that night when they had retreated to Hannibal’s nest of furs, simply curled around each other pleasantly, Will posed a question he’d been wondering about for a while. 

 

“So....okay, I know I asked about how reproduction works for you, and you said it was too soon, but I thought I’d ask again? I mean, you can tell me it’s none of my business and I’ll drop it, but...now that there aren’t really secrets between us...” Will ventured and felt Hannibal’s fond resignation through the bond. 

 

“Yes...I’ve been putting it off, but I agree that our relationship has reached a level of intimacy that keeping it from you any longer is nothing short of absurd.” 

 

“It’s alright, Hannibal, you know by now that there’s nothing you say that’ll put me off.” He teased. 

 

Hannibal wrapped his arms more securely around Will and nuzzled the back of his head before he began to speak. “You are familiar with the concept of sexual dimorphism, yes? Where there are clear separations and indications of an organism's sex, yes?” Hannibal prompted, and Will nodded, wondering where this was going. 

 

“Well while my kind may bear resemblance to humans, our indicators are...different.” 

 

“Okay...like what?” 

 

Hannibal hesitated, “One sex carries eggs, unfertilized, within themselves, and waits for a partner to fertilize them. Then the brood is carried for several months during which they hatch, fight for dominance, and cannibalize some of their siblings, and then those that remain are born.” 

 

Will grimaced a bit at the violence of it, but otherwise said nothing, making sure Hannibal felt his acceptance and encouragement to continue. 

 

“In a human, such a sex would typically be called female. However, my kind adopted such words as male and female to describe our outwardly appearance to humans, and it has virtually nothing to do with our sexual organs.” Hannibal explained. 

 

Will thought about this for a moment, “Okay, so I’m assuming that what you’re building up to here is that, while you look like a human male, you have the reproductive biology of a female of your species?” 

 

“Yes.” Hannibal said. “Although the terminology is...imperfect, that is the easiest way to understand it, I suppose. Our words for our biology do not translate into your language.” He explained, and let out a series of trills that Will assumed must have been proving his point. 

 

Will nodded, “Alright, I mean, that’s not a problem, you didn’t have any reason to worry, Hannibal.” He chided gently, turning in his arms to press gentle kisses up his neck and along his jaw. “You’re perfect to me however you are.” He insisted. 

 

He could feel Hannibal’s relief, and chuckled to himself about his poor mate’s insecurities and hoped he could assuage any others that might surface. 

  
“There is also the small matter of...conception.” Hannibal ventured. 

 

“Oh yeah, how does that work?” Will asked. “Do we need to be careful? I mean, it’s probably just a little too soon to be thinking about kids...wait. Can you even have kids with humans? Is that even viable?” He asked, face coloring a little as he did. 

 

Now it was Hannibal’s turn to chuckle. “Yes, we are perfectly biologically compatible with humans, as well as the Mer, but that is not relevant at present.” He said. “I have my own cycles in which I ovulate and if not fertilized, the eggs are reabsorbed by my body. However, unlike a human woman, my cycle is closer aligned to the seasons and the earth’s orbit, rather than the moon’s. Which means my cycle completes approximately every three months, more or less.” 

 

Will raised an interested eyebrow. “And what happens? Is it uncomfortable?” He asked, thinking back to the times that Beverly would stay home with a bag of hot water pressed to her abdomen and he was conscripted to bring her cups of medicinal tea to help the cramps if he came over to her house. 

 

Hannibal shrugged, “Not as such, no. There is a...heightening of my libido when my eggs drop, as encouragement to mate, I suppose. But otherwise it is a relatively unobtrusive process.” 

 

“Man, never tell Beverly that.” Will laughed. “She’d probably kill you herself out of jealousy.” 

 

Hannibal laughed at that, “Yes, I suppose she would. I’ll keep it in mind.” 

 

“So...” Will ventured, wondering if he should even voice the question, which was rather useless, since Hannibal just got to hear it in his mind anyway. 

 

“Yes, Will, it does involve my being the recipient of penetrative sex, and no, it does not always result in children.” Hannibal grinned, amused by Will’s discomfort and slight embarrassment. 

 

“This isn’t-- I mean, I wouldn’t-- I’m not...we don’t have to...” Will stammered, trying to backtrack his thoughts and words in a way that was wholly ineffective. 

 

“Shhh, my darling, it’s alright. You needn’t feel embarrassed, I am welcoming you into this facet of my life.” Hannibal assured him, tentacles winding around them until Hannibal was settled comfortably over Will. 

 

“I am dedicated to experiencing and helping you experience the heights of pleasure both our bodies can offer.” Hannibal explained as his tentacles began to remove Will’s clothing slowly. He mentally asked if Will was alright and received the agreement he was searching for. 

 

“I am too, Hannibal.” Will agreed, squirming out of his clothes as best as he could. “I want to know every inch of you.” He blushed. 

 

“Precious boy, I feel the same. And I wish for you to know me as completely as I do you.” He said and reached for one of Will’s hands. “Here, allow me to show you...” He purred, leaning down over Will as he guided his hand towards the apex of his tentacles. 

 

Truthfully, Will had never spared much of a thought for what was between Hannibal’s tentacles, or how exactly they were joined to his body. It just had never seemed that important. But now, Will found his fingers inching towards what, on an actual octopus, would be it’s beak. However, when he reached the center of the tentacles and Hannibal guided his fingers upwards towards skin, Will felt a slick opening, just wide enough for a finger, or two if he was feeling ambitious. 

 

“Oh my god...” He whispered reverently, stroking along the slit and smiling as Hannibal shivered with pleasure above him. “That feel good?” He asked, wanting to make sure. 

 

“Oh yes, Will. Focus and you can feel it as well.” He moaned, and Will tried to follow his directions and focus on what he was receiving from the bond. 

 

He stroked again, finger dipping inside before spreading the slickness around the outside and gasped as he realized he could, in fact, feel it. Or...feel  _ something _ . It was close to the feeling when Hannibal’s tentacles would prod at his slit or play with the rim of his hole, but yet, somehow very different. 

 

“God...you’re so tight...” Will moaned. “How...how would I fit?” He asked, blushing a little. 

 

Hannibal chuckled, “Oh my darling, Will. Have you not yet come to acknowledge the fact that I am, by nature, extremely elastic? I am more than capable of stretching to allow you inside...as well as tightening around you like a vice.” He smirked. 

 

“Would you like to feel it?” Hannibal asked coyly, a tentacle sliding against Will’s cock suggestively. 

 

Will nodded, “Can I? Is that okay?” He asked. 

 

“If it wasn’t, Will, I wouldn’t have suggested it.” Hannibal said kindly. “I am several weeks away from estrus, there is no danger of pregnancy, and more than anything, I wish to feel you like this, connect myself to you in the last way I am able.” Hannibal murmured as he began to suck hot kisses down Will’s neck. 

 

Will moaned, any reservations he might have had, lost forever. He wondered about the logistics of it all, however, given that Hannibal’s tentacles were wide at the base and Will had to wonder if there would even be room for him to lay against Hannibal.

 

“Your mind is a delightful place, love.” Hannibal grinned. “Have you forgotten what I showed you upon one of our earlier meetings? When my tentacles elongate, they thin, and thicken when they contract. You will fit.” Hannibal assured him. 

 

He rolled to the side, pulling Will on top of him. “Now come, have me.” He demanded, tentacles elongating like he’d said they could. 

 

Will found that once they had thinned, they were no more obtrusive than human thighs. Less so, even, given that they were more flexible still. Will settled between them instinctively, spreading them to the sides around his own hips. 

 

“Can I...can I see?” Will whispered, as if afraid Hannibal would change his mind after all. 

 

In answer, though, Hannibal spread his tentacles further, baring his most intimate part to Will’s gaze. Will had no words to describe what he found, different from a human woman in shape, yet nothing like his own rectum either. 

 

The slit was the same smooth skin as the tentacles that surrounded it, but the color was a much deeper blue here, which Will supposed made sense, given that Hannibal’s blood itself was blue, and this area likely had quite a lot of blood vessels to contend with, not unlike a human.

 

The opening itself was fleshy, with almost no variance in texture to the surrounding skin. Breifly, the word “cloaca” came to mind, and Will wondered if it was a close comparison or not. 

 

“It will do, yes. You’re not wrong, not in the typical definition.” Hannibal supplied, his voice seemingly unaffected, but his mind proved to be growing anxious the longer Will stared. 

 

“Sorry.” Will murmured, sliding fingers against him, fingers coming away slick, likely with the same substance that often slicked Hannibal’s own tentacles. The thought came unbidden to Will’s mind, that perhaps Hannibal would gather his slick on his tentacles before penetrating Will, and Hannibal moaned, eyes squeezed shut. 

 

“Can I taste you?” Will asked eagerly, and Hannibal gave a dazed nod. He slid down Hannibal’s body, hands wrapped around tentacles as he held him open and dove in, lapping up the slick that had seeped out and smiling as he felt Hannibal’s limbs trembling excitedly. When he reached Hannibal’s slit, he licked inside, tonguing in as far as he could reach, drinking up the slick that poured from him. He could hear Hannibal moaning above him and their connection allowed Will to know what felt best to Hannibal and then repeat it. Mercilessly. 

 

Hannibal’s mind was a litany of  **_WillWillWill_ ** as Will devoured him entirely. The slick was salty as the sea, but surprisingly not bitter, if anything, it didn’t taste like much at all, just salt. Will decided he didn’t mind the taste at all, and in fact, would be content to drink from the fountain of Hannibal’s pleasure for the rest of time. 

 

**_I had no idea... you were such a poet..._ ** Hannibal thought, unable to articulate proper words out loud. 

 

Will chuckled,  **_We learn new things everyday, I guess. You’re delicious, you know..._ ** He said, just to feel Hannibal’s mental blush, the embarrassment that felt hot like steam in his mind. Will’s appreciation was a balm to any trepidation Hannibal might have felt, and instead merely shuddered helplessly under Will’s ministrations. 

 

**_Enough...enough..._ ** Hannibal moaned after a while,  **_inside, Will. Please, inside..._ **

 

Will was more than happy to oblige, climbing up Hannibal’s body once more and taking his hands and pressing them down on either side of his head as he kissed Hannibal with single-minded determination, sharing his taste between them. Hannibal was so pliant beneath him, it was a novel experience, but Will had to wonder when Hannibal had ever allowed himself to be vulnerable to another creature. 

 

**_Never, darling...never..._ ** Came Hannibal’s answer, which filled Will with singular pride. 

 

Will spared a moment to align himself, not willing to tease himself or Hannibal further, thrusting inside slowly to make sure Hannibal was wet enough to ease the way, but he needn’t have worried, because Hannibal was still positively dripping. 

 

“You are like fire within me, Will...” Hannibal moaned, arching up against him. “Hot like the sun...” He babbled, and Will could imagine why he would think so, given that Hannibal felt cool to him, the temperature difference making his cock pulse. 

 

Hannibal had been right as he stretched to accommodate Will’s girth which was not insubstantial, but Will’s breath came in shallow pants as he willed himself not to come too soon. The texture inside Hannibal was nothing like he’d been expecting. There were ridges inside him that Will almost had to wonder if they were rows of internal suction cups. The thought that Hannibal would be able to hold Will inside himself indefinitely sent a jolt of arousal down Will’s spine, and Hannibal chuckled. 

 

“That’s not...they are not suction cups.” He gasped breathlessly as Will began to rock inside him, slowly at first. “Be still. Allow me to show you...” He said and Will obeyed, his hips slowing to a halt, fully buried inside of Hannibal. 

 

Without warning, Hannibal’s inner walls began to undulate, rolling and squeezing around his cock, the ridges teasing him maddeningly. 

 

“Oh fuck, Hannibal...fuck, shit, keep that up and I won’t last...” Will despaired, eyes squeezed tightly shut. 

 

“Mmm, that does sound appealing, however...” Hannibal mused even through labored breaths. “To feel you spill molten within me...I could slip inside you and stimulate you until you were ready once more...I could keep you within me...” He panted and Will sobbed, too sensitive already, and the mental image of what Hannibal was describing was almost too much to bear. 

 

Will knew he wouldn’t resist, either. He’d let Hannibal milk him dry, and then prod his prostate until he was thick and ready for Hannibal again. The idea of Hannibal using him for his own pleasure was more attractive than Will thought it would have been. 

 

**_My perfect, perfect boy..._ ** Hannibal crooned, **_...we shall surely have to explore these ideas some other time..._ ** he suggested and Will could only nod his agreement as Hannibal stilled around him. 

 

“Take your pleasure, Will. I wish to feel you.” Hannibal encouraged and Will shakily began to move again. Confident that he’d be able to please Hannibal even if he came too soon, Will focused on pounding into him and giving him exactly what he was asking for, both in words and through their bond. Commands of  **_harder_ ** and  **_faster_ ** came demandingly and Will hastened to obey, abandoning gentleness in the face of Hannibal’s desire. 

 

The closer that Will got to his own climax, the more Hannibal spurred him on, fantasies and desires flashing through their minds too fast to know from whom they’d come. There was Will, pounding into Hannibal, even as Hannibal spread him wide on his tentacles, surrounding him completely. There was Hannibal, on his back, stuffed full of his own tentacles as he pleasured himself while Will watched, stroking himself. There was Hannibal, swollen round with their children, hovering above Will as he impaled himself on his cock, Will servicing as many tentacles as he could with his mouth. 

 

It was all too much, and Will could feel the white-hot knife of pleasure along his abdomen, slicing him open as he cried out and came inside of Hannibal with a shout. There was a tentacle that massaged his balls as if encouraging him never to stop spilling inside Hannibal. It was only a moment more, the feedback loop of pleasure climbing ever higher, before Hannibal was contracting tightly around Will and crying out to the heavens, hands clawing at Will’s back as his own arched up from the furs. They stayed suspended like this, every muscle taut, for a few moments before slumping down onto furs damp with their sweat and other fluids. 

 

They panted heavily against each other, hearts racing and soreness beginning to creep into overworked muscles. 

 

“Goddamn.” Will breathed after a solid five minutes spent just trying to catch his breath. “How is it that great every single time?” He asked. 

 

Hannibal sighed heavily and tried to speak. “Bond? Perhaps?” He managed to say and Will chuckled. 

 

“Yeah, maybe. Fuck.” He groaned, starting to stretch muscles that were starting to cramp as they cooled. Hannibal reached for clean furs and dragged them over them both, pulling Will closer to his chest, half on top of him. 

 

**_I can still feel you hot inside me..._ ** Hannibal thought, and Will felt the lazy stirrings of arousal, too weak to do anything about, but there nonetheless. 

 

**_Mmmm, I’ve branded you._ ** Will thought back, wondering where this possessive streak had emerged.  **_You’re mine in every way, not that it was in question._ **

 

Hannibal chuckled softly. **_I’d have it no other way._ **

 

There was an emotion that spread through both their chests, strong and pure and unquestionable. They both basked in the feeling, neither needing to give voice to what they already felt so vehemently in each other’s hearts. 

 

\-------------

 

There was a note slipped under Will’s door when he got home the next day. It was hastily scrawled on a torn piece of paper and Will frowned as he recognized Beverly’s handwriting, even as sloppy as it was. Two words and it chilled him to the bone. 

 

**They know.**

 

No sooner had he read it was there a heavy knock on the door. 

 

“Will! Will Graham!” Came the thunderous voice from the other side. “I know you’re home, open the goddamn door before I kick it down, I swear to god!” 

 

Will reached for the door handle, one hand on his hunting knife. 

 

“Jack.” He said tonelessly, opening the door. 

 

“You’re under arrest, Graham! For consorting with demons and acting as an accessory to the murders of your fellow townsfolk.” He accused. 

 

“What are you talking about?” Will demanded, wondering if it wasn’t too late to play stupid, but Jack wasn’t having any of it. 

 

“I had heard rumors, but it wasn’t until I saw it with my own two eyes that I dared believe. I saw you...consorting with that monster. Blatantly, out in the open, even! In front of god and everyone. You’re going to trial, and then I swear you will hang for this.” He threatened. 

 

Will considered his options, knowing he had few. But at the moment he was cornered in his own home and he needed to change that. There was a back door, kept unlocked because no one ever ventured out this far, and besides, glass was expensive. He didn’t want thieves breaking his windows if it came down to it, not that he had anything worth stealing. 

 

He relaxed his posture nodding at the ground and trying to look as contrite as possible. “Alright, Jack.” He agreed, smiling internally as Jack relaxed as well, assuming Will was going to come without a fight. 

 

“A wise choice, young man. Best give yourself up, let the hands of justice deal with you now.” He nodded, self-righteous and arrogant. He pulled out a measure of rope that Will knew was meant to tie his wrists together, he turned around obligingly, but right before Jack could tie him up, he ran. 

 

Will bolted through the house, adrenaline flooding his blood and fueling his legs. He vaulted over the backyard fence, unhalted by Jack’s shouts, now joined by others. It seemed Jack had not come alone, but had brought reinforcements, some of which were faster runners than Jack. But Will knew these woods, knew them like the back of his hand, and he ran through the underbrush, jumping over logs and ducking beneath branches, heart pounding as he imagined what they would do to him if they caught him. 

 

Will wasn’t sure how far he’d run, but every time he thought maybe he’d outrun them, he’d hear their shouts over the wind and twigs snapping under careless steps. Will couldn’t focus on Hannibal, but his mate was being conspicuously silent, not that Will had time to focus on that. 

 

Will began to realize just how well Jack had planned this out when he began to hear shouts and voices coming from ahead of him as well. He turned a sharp ninety degrees away from both groups chasing him. He wouldn’t allow himself to be caught, but there was only so far he could run. They were closing in on him, backing him up against the coastlines and the sharp cliffs that jutted high and menacingly over the roiling ocean. 

 

Just as he had that thought, Will ran out of forest, finding himself at the top of a cliff. He was about to turn tail and begin running again when he heard Jack, on horseback this time - and really, that was just cheating.  

 

“There’s nowhere to run, Will.” He taunted as the men that had been chasing him began to emerge from the surrounding forest. Will didn't recognize most of them, and had the sneaking suspicion that they were mercenaries. It wouldn’t surprise him, honestly. Jack liked to act like he was the physical embodiment of the law and justice, but he was just as selfish and manipulative as the worst he hunted. 

 

**_Hannibal?_ ** Will thought, worry suffusing the link. 

 

**_Foolish men came in search of me. I am dealing with the matter._ ** Was the curt reply and Will was relieved Hannibal wasn’t hurt, at least. 

 

**_I’m going to do something monumentally stupid._ ** Will thought.  **_But I don’t have much of a choice._ **

 

**_I’m coming._ **

 

Satisfied that Hannibal was on his way, and knowing how fast he moved in the water, Will felt a strange sense of calm wash over him. He was doing this for them both, for the possibility of a future together. Fate may have joined them, but this was Will’s choice, this was Will choosing Hannibal. It wasn’t a difficult choice to make. 

 

“It’s over, Will.” Jack said, dismounting his horse and approaching with a dozen men behind him. 

 

Will nodded. “You’re right, it is.” He agreed. “Goodbye, Jack.” He said, savoring the look of confusion before he turned and leapt off of the cliff, angling his body into a dive and hoping he wouldn’t hit a rock on his way down.

 

He dimly registered Jack’s shouts from the cliffside, or it very well could have been the roar of the sea he was hurtling towards.

 

The cliff was much taller than Will had realized and he had a moment to wonder if he’d made  a terrible miscalculation before he hit the icy water and then blackness was all he knew. 

 

Will sank. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't eat me. Will's fine. Probably. ♥ XD


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Fisherman Friday/Salty Saturday! Hope you guys enjoy the update, and as always, all mistakes are mine.

Will woke in stages, slowly drifting back to consciousness. The first thing he became aware of was the absence of noise. It was different from just ordinary silence, it wasn’t just that there wasn’t sound, but it felt almost as if even if there were sound, Will wouldn’t be able to hear it. He wondered if he’d somehow ruptured his eardrums during the fall. 

 

Everything hurt, but not with the sharp pain of injury. No, it felt more like the dull throbbing of overworked muscles. But it wasn’t just his muscles, everything hurt, like a giant bruise. His skin, his bones, his teeth, his  _ hair  _ even seemed to hurt. 

 

Will’s fingers twitched and he felt sand, but even that small movement seemed to exhaust all of his energy. He sighed softly and tasted salt water. 

 

Will blinked his eyes open and they felt gritty, like sand had gotten in his eyes. He blinked a couple times, startled by the way there seemed to be some kind of a film, or layer, over his eyes. But it wasn’t until he saw a tiny fish swim by that he realized he was still underwater. 

 

Will’s eyes widened in panic, holding his breath reflexively as he sat up, despite his protesting muscles. He looked down at himself and was relieved to see all his limbs intact, but upon further inspection he saw that his fingers seemed to have grown some kind of membrane between them, spanning only from his palm to the first knuckle up. How could it have grown so suddenly? Had Will been unconscious for longer than he thought. He looked up and he could see rays of sun filtering down through the water, but that didn’t tell him if he’d slept more than a day or not. 

 

**_And more importantly,_ ** he wondered, his last moments returning to him with greater clarity,  **_where the fuck was Hannibal?_ **

 

**_I am but a moment away, dearest. I had a bit more trouble with Jack’s men than previously anticipated. They brought nets, which were terribly tedious to deal with._ ** Hannibal replied. 

 

**_Not long, perhaps five minutes at most._ ** A pause, and then.  **_Fear not, I am nearly there._ **

 

Will supposed he must have picked up on the rising panic that Will was feeling. He was alone, lost, and somehow sitting on the bottom of the sea. Also, his lungs had not started to ache, despite having still been holding that breath. Will began to unbutton his shirt with clumsy fingers, needing to confirm a theory. 

 

Sure enough, once he’d removed his shirt and felt along his ribs, just under his arms, he found the fluttering flaps of skin that mimicked Hannibal’s own. 

 

**_Holy fuck, I have gills._ **

 

**_Ah, I see the transformation has begun to take place. Perhaps your actions on the cliff were the catalyst that was needed._ **

 

**_What, jumping off a cliff turned me into...whatever this is that I am now?_ ** Will asked skeptically. 

 

**_No, darling. You made a decision before you jumped. Choice and free will hold more power than many realize._ **

 

Will frowned, trying to remember what he’d been thinking and when the moment came back to him, he smiled softly to himself. He’d chosen Hannibal. Fate might have brought them together, but it was Will’s choice that was going to keep them that way. 

 

There was a slight change in the current around him that heralded Hannibal’s approach. Will turned and admired for the first time, how graceful yet predatory Hannibal looked as he swam. The way that other fish avoided him, gave him a wide berth. Underwater like this, Will could see the full mane of his tentacles and the way they spread wide and contracted to push Hannibal along. A fierce pride welled in Will’s chest at the sight of his mate and, being able to feel it through the bond, Hannibal shamelessly preened for Will, swimming around him to accentuate the full majesty of his being. 

 

**_You’re gorgeous, Hannibal._ ** Will marvelled.  **_Beautiful and graceful and deadly..._ **

 

Hannibal’s cheeks grew bluer as he blushed, an action that Will couldn’t help but find endearing. Although, to be fair, there wasn’t really anything he  _ didn’t  _ find endearing about Hannibal. 

 

Hannibal embraced him, hiding his face in Will’s hair and twining his limbs around him. Will knew there were a lot of immediately pressing things they’d need to figure out, now that Hannibal’s home had been compromised and it wasn’t safe for Will to be anywhere near his home or the village. They would need to figure out what to do next, where to go, but in that moment, Will had the strangest moment of clarity. In that moment, he knew without a doubt that Hannibal would take care of him. He’d help Will adapt to this new underwater lifestyle, make sure that he was safe and fed and cared for. The thought warmed Will and he clung to Hannibal harder. 

 

**_What do we do?_ ** He asked after a moment, unable to hold back asking any longer. He could feel Hannibal’s fondness for him. 

 

**_There is another cave, further down the coast from mine. The entrance is underwater, so it is secure. It may not be as comfortable as mine, but it will do until we can travel to one of the other caves I’ve set up in preparation._ **

 

Will nodded,  **_Okay, but uh, how far is it? I don’t know if I can swim right now..._ **

 

Hannibal kissed his forehead gently.  **_I will carry you, I am strong enough to swim for the both of us. Your body has been through a lot, you need the rest._ **

 

Will agreed to this and not a moment later, he felt Hannibal hold him close with his arms, leaving his tentacles to propel them through the water. Will shivered as the water rushed past his skin. He wasn’t used to how cold it was, and he wondered if his life would be this now, cold and wet. He clung harder to Hannibal, marvelling at how compared to the water around them, Hannibal felt blessedly warm. 

 

**_Your metabolism will adjust in time, I believe._ ** Hannibal assured him, and Will nodded, even as his teeth began to chatter. He would do anything for a fire right now, for warm furs and a glass of whiskey. He could feel Hannibal’s amusement at his expense. 

 

**_We are nearly there._ ** Hannibal said as they began to swim lower, deeper, into a dark tunnel. Will wondered if his eyes would ever adjust to darker waters like Hannibal’s seemed to, but even if they didn’t, Will was pleased at how he was able to see clearly underwater, almost as if he wasn’t in the water at all. Perhaps it was because these particular waters were very clear and clean that his vision was so good, darkness notwithstanding. 

 

Eventually, they both surfaced and Will gasped reflexively, hands rising to brush water off of his face and hair out of his eyes. Hannibal helped him safely to shore, setting him down carefully before pulling himself out of the water. 

 

“How do you feel?” Hannibal asked him. 

 

“Cold.” Will laughed, arms wrapping around himself as he shivered. His pants and shoes were getting colder as they dried and they pressed heavy against his skin. His shirt, which he thought had been forgotten when he’d taken it off, was lying not far from him. The thought that Hannibal had cared enough to grab it before they left pleased Will. 

 

Hannibal’s brow furrowed in sympathy. “I will start a fire.” He assured Will. “Come, there’s a deeper cavern this way.” He said, helping Will up and supporting his wobbly limbs as they walked down a crevice in the cavern wall that did, in fact, open up to a slightly larger chamber. However, this cavern wasn’t covered in the beautiful bioluminescent fungus and lichen and other organisms that lit up the cave. No, this one was pitch-black and Will stayed where Hannibal positioned him, shivering in one spot while he listened to Hannibal moving about the cave and rustling different items. 

 

After a moment, there was the sound of flint being struck, and a fire sparked to life. Will whimpered in relief as he scuttled closer. 

 

“You should remove your wet things.” Hannibal advised. “Allow them to dry.” 

 

It was sound advice, but Will couldn’t help but tease. “You just want to get into my pants.” 

 

Hannibal smirked, “Always.” He agreed. 

 

When Will’s fingers were too numb and uncoordinated to manage the task, Hannibal helped, gently removing his shoes and socks and pants and finally his underwear. He draped them over stalagmites that were near the fire but not too close to catch a stray ember. 

 

Will was glad that the surface of this cave was smooth and not sandy, since that would have been more unpleasant than he was willing to deal with, not when he was already so cold and tired to begin with. 

 

“I feared something like this would happen, so I took the liberty of stowing a few things here just in case.” Hannibal explained, drawing Will’s attention to three large bundles on the other side of the cave. 

 

“I brought medical supplies, some human food that is not quick to spoil, and of course, bedding enough for the two of us.” 

 

“Mmm, thank you...” Will sighed, watching as Hannibal spread out a nest of furs, not quite as big as the one Will remembered in Hannibal’s cave, but not insubstantial either. When Hannibal was done, he spread himself out and beckoned Will closer, helping him to settle in the crook of his body, curved specifically to mold against Will’s form. 

 

Will groaned as sore muscles protested every movement, but laying down in Hannibal’s embrace soothed him and that, combined with the fire warming the parts of him not in direct contact with Hannibal, had Will feeling drowsy almost instantly. 

 

“What’s happening to me?” Will yawned. 

 

“Your body has begun the transformation that will allow you to live in my world as well as your own.” Hannibal explained, raising one of Will’s hands to inspect the webbing between his fingers. “Although, from the look of this, the transformation is not yet complete.” He mused. 

 

“Yeah?” Will asked sleepily, his eyes fluttering shut, though he was still listening. 

 

“I have nothing but legend to go off of, but I believe this ought to begin at the palm and end nearly at your fingertips. This looks to be only half of its designed size.” 

 

“Mmm, d’you think it’ll grow?” Will mumbled. 

 

“It very well may, yes. The same with your metabolism. They should adjust, and you should not find the ocean as cold as you do. However, now that we are together, we can move anywhere we’d like. To warmer waters, perhaps.” Hannibal suggested. 

 

“That would be nice...” Will agreed. “Are you gonna carry me the whole way?” He asked. 

 

Hannibal chuckled, “While I would not mind it in the slightest, and I quite enjoy feeling your body pressed against mine, I would hope that will not long be necessary. Of course, it will take time for your body to adapt. I believe you will, in time, become a very strong swimmer. However, in the beginning, you will likely find that you tire easily.” 

 

“You’re always going to be faster, though.” Will pointed out. 

 

“True. I am perfectly adapted to my environment. However, speed is hardly an issue. We are in no hurry, and no creature would dare challenge us.” Hannibal said with such conviction that Will just about believed him. 

 

“What about your...friend? Do you think she would know if my transformation is working? Like...if it’s completing the way it should be?” Will asked. 

 

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to try. She is...often difficult to extract information from, although make no mistake, she certainly has information in spades. She has taken an interest in the more...arcane aspects of our species, the magic that created us and that supposedly still flows through us. The Old Ones that still dwell in the deepest waters of the earth....” Hannibal shrugged. “She calls herself sea-witch, although I feel that is more out of a sense of dramatic than actual ability.” 

 

Will snorted. “Yeah, because you would  _ never  _ be that dramatic.” He teased and Hannibal pinched his butt in retaliation, which only made Will snicker even more. 

 

“Cruel boy.” Hannibal chided, but held him all the closer, regardless. “You are magnificent in your becoming.” He said, changing the topic and returning to admiring the changes in Will’s anatomy. 

 

“So hey, now that I have gills, underwater sex just became a thing, huh?” He grinned. 

 

“An excellent idea, yes. One that we will surely have to explore, at length.” Hannibal assured him. “I do wonder how that would affect your temperature...”

 

Will laughed, “I guess we’ll have to find out.” 

 

“Indeed.” Hannibal agreed. “For now, though, we ought to rest. When you are able to move about without pain, we can explore such possibilities. For now, your body needs to recover. Growing new organs and rearranging existing ones is no easy feat.” 

 

Will yawned widely, covering his mouth. “We’re revisiting this conversation when I’m awake.” Will warned, focusing on Hannibal’s last sentence and finding that he had quite a few questions. 

 

“Of course, darling.” Hannibal allowed. “Sleep now.” 

 

Warm and cozy and with the knowledge that he was safe in Hannibal’s arms, Will did just that.

 

\---------

 

Jack may have tried to come after Beverly, since his true marks had gotten away, but her husbands weren’t having it. In no uncertain terms they told Jack that if he dared show his face on their doorstep or threaten their wife again, he’d be asking for his death. 

 

Beverly, thoroughly capable of defending herself, nevertheless found it sweet of them to stick up for her so furiously. Even after she told them the truth about Will, and consequently, Hannibal. 

 

Jack didn’t know that Beverly knew about Hannibal, and especially didn’t know that she had met him personally. He probably would have found some way to hang her if he did. But she told her husbands and even though they were understandably worried and a little appalled, she assured them that Will and Hannibal were no threat to the village anymore.

 

In fact, most of the village was of the opinion that Will was dead. After all, he’d jumped into the ocean and never resurfaced. Beverly knew better, though. From what she'd seen of the two of them, there was no way that Hannibal would have allowed that possibility. 

 

Still, Beverly wondered if she'd ever see them again, Will specifically. She'd miss him, and the most she was able to do was leave a note at Will's house in the hopes that he'd come back at some point, even if it was just to collect some of his things. 

 

With this plan in mind, she waited several days after the events at the clifftop, until the tension had lessened, and then stole away to Will's cabin in the dark of night. It was just as quiet as she expected it to be, and it didn't look like anyone had been there since Will. 

 

She slipped inside and, without lighting any lanterns that might give her away, she placed the slip of paper she'd prepared in advance on the kitchen table. She sighed softly, wistfully looking around the empty house and wondering if maybe it was time for her own family to move on from this place as well. 

 

With a small smile, she turned around and left the house, closing the door behind her. 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Happy Fisherman Friday/Salty Saturday!!   
> So, a couple things:   
> 1\. I'm sorry I've gotten suuuuper behind on replying to comments, but I promise I've read every single one and they bring huge smiles to my face!! I hope to catch up on replies sometime this coming week. ♥   
> 2\. This...is probably going to be more than 13 chapters. I'm not going to make any promises yet, but I had a tiny lil burst of inspiration, and I'm not sure if I'll smush it into a couple larger chapters, or divide it up into a few more smaller ones. But please do not be alarmed if you see the chapter count change lol 
> 
> Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy! As always, all mistakes are mine! So feel free to point out my typos! ♥

A week later, and Will was still cold. 

 

Hannibal never mentioned anything out loud, but Will could feel his worry, the anxiety that kept building with each passing day. Will knew that Hannibal assumed that his body would have begun to adjust already, but the fact that Will’s metabolism hadn’t seemed to change at all was enough to worry him, and by extension, Will. 

 

As a result, Will spent as much time as possible out of the water, and in Hannibal’s arms, instead. 

 

They’d tried exposure therapy, with Will seeing how long he could spend in the water. However, when he started shivering violently and turning blue, Hannibal hauled him from the water and forbade a repetition of that particular experiment. 

 

His concern was sweet, in Will’s opinion. 

 

“There is nothing for it, we must see the sea witch.” Hannibal lamented one night, curled around Will as they both gazed into the fire. 

 

“You don’t sound happy about that.” Will observed. “Is she really that bad?” 

 

Hannibal hummed softly. “Mmm, no. Not as such. It’s just difficult to extract information from her, is all.” He explained. 

 

“Do you trust her?” Will asked. 

 

“As much as I can trust any of my kind.” Hannibal admitted. 

 

Will could easily admit that the thought of meeting another of Hannibal’s species was more than a little intimidating. For one, he wasn’t sure if there were actually cultural differences and nuances that he’d be missing. He didn’t want to inadvertently offend the sea witch. He supposed that a good start would be to refrain from calling her “sea witch.” Just because Hannibal did, didn’t mean that she actually preferred the name.    
  
“You worry overmuch, dear boy.” Hannibal smiled, pressing a kiss to his temple. “She will not harm you, you needn’t worry.”    
  
But Will wasn’t really worried about that. It wasn’t his own safety that was his main concern, but rather, the thought that he might shame Hannibal – that was unthinkable.    
  
“There isn’t a single thing you could do that would shame me, Will.” Hannibal said, and Will huffed out an exasperating sigh.    
  
“It’s actually a little annoying sometimes that you can do that.” He said, but the smile on his face proved that he wasn’t truly upset.    
  
“I apologize.” Hannibal said insincerely. Will knew he would never want to give up the ability to hear Will’s thoughts.   
  
“It’s alright. It’s just…I mean, we all have our insecurities. I’m still getting used to you being able to hear all of mine, all the time.” Will explained.    
  
“I can understand that.” Hannibal nodded. “You see it as a lack of privacy.”    
  
Though his words were even, Will could feel a slight undercurrent of hurt that laced his words. He sighed and shook his head. “No, that’s not it.” At Hannibal’s disbelieving glance, Will amended, “Okay, that is it, but that’s not all. Yeah, it’s going to take me a little longer to be completely okay with the whole mind-reading thing, but it’s not all bad. I don’t mind it that much, and honestly…it’s really uh, intimate.” Will said with a faint blush coloring his cheeks.    
  
“That it is, dear Will. We are open to each other, completely and in every way.” Hannibal agreed.    
  
“Yeah, and don’t get me wrong, I like that. It’s just a little unnerving…I mean, I can’t completely control the thoughts that cross my mind. They’re not always…tasty.”    
  
Hannibal nodded his understanding. “I know, darling. And I am very proud of the way that you have adjusted to all the changes that this bond has brought us both. But if it would put your mind at ease at all, you must know that there is nothing that your mind could conjure that would be off-putting to me.”    
  
Even though the urge to test this theory was strong, Will was nonetheless strangely comforted by it. The idea that there was someone that would look at the deepest parts of his mind with admiration and acceptance…it was a heady thing. Will wasn’t about to wish that gone, even if while he adjusted to it, it was a little hard to come to terms with. 

  
\---------   
  


According to Hannibal, the sea witch lived further north, at least a day and a half’s swim away. The problem with that was that the water would only grow colder the further north they swam. Will’s health was at stake, and Hannibal wasn’t one to allow that. The decision was made that Will would have to go back home for his boat. He’d sail there, and spend most of his time above water when he could.    
  
The problem with that, of course, was that it left Will vulnerable to attack. Jack could be lying in wait, waiting for Will to return, only to recapture him. Therefore, Will had to accept that the next few nights he’d have to spend alone in their cavern while Hannibal kept a watch on Will’s house. He kept a constant vigil for three nights until he was certain as he could be that there was no one there.    
  
It was extremely likely that everyone assumed Will had perished at the bottom of that cliff, and as such, no one ventured near his house. Partially out of respect for the dead, perhaps, and perhaps due to a bit of fear. The townspeople were nothing if not superstitious, and the thought that their actions might have driven Will to an untimely end might have been enough for them to assume the cabin was now haunted by his vengeful ghost.    
  
Whatever the reason, it would surely work to their advantage, so Will tried not to look a gift horse in the mouth.    
  
The night that they decided Will would steal back into his own house was tense. Will was naked, wet and shivering when Hannibal helped him onto his little dock on the gravel beach at the base of the cliff. His sailboat was, thankfully, untampered with, and it seemed like everything had been left untouched so far.    
  
Will made his way up the stone staircase, Hannibal’s comforting voice in his mind assuring him that there was still no sign of anyone approaching. It would be immensely difficult for someone without the intimate kind of knowledge that Will possessed of the surrounding forest to enter without some kind of torch or lantern, hence why they decided night would be the best time for this. Hannibal would be able to see any lights approaching from a distance and warn Will.    
  
He made it to the cabin, noting that someone had definitely been there, since his goats were miraculously still fed. He assumed Beverly, since he could think of no other that would bother to look after his goats, rather than just outright steal them. Well, Will had no use for them under the sea. He’d already made sure that they, along with the rest of his earth possessions would be bequeathed to Beverly. Sooner or later someone would come looking for a last will and testament, once they decided to perform some kind of funeral rites.    
  
Confirming his suspicions, there was indeed a letter waiting for him. Will smiled beside himself, lighting a dim lantern, just bright enough to be able to read by if he strained himself. It would be easier than trying to read by moonlight.    
  
_ William Bartholomew Graham,  _

_   
_ _ You had better not be dead. I’ll kill you myself, you reckless asshole.  _ _   
_ __ Sorry, that’s probably no way to speak to the potentially dead, but the point stands. I hope you’re happy, and I would have really liked the chance to say goodbye properly. But nope, I guess we can blame that one on Jack. Bastard.

_   
_ _ Anyway, I think I may need a change of scenery. We’ve thought about leaving before, but now it seems like more of an inevitability. We’re thinking about moving south, someplace warmer and less damp, hopefully. It can get kind of dismal here, don’t you think?  _

_   
_ _ I’ll lie on a beach in Havana next summer and think of you.  _

_   
_ _ All my love,  _ _   
_ __ Bev   
  
Will smiled, proud of how clever she was. If anyone else had stumbled upon the note, they would have assumed it was her way of saying goodbye, a way to lay the memory of Will to rest. But no, it was so much more than that. It was an arrangement for a meeting, in the hopes that not only was Will alive, but that he'd come back and see the note. 

  
He took the note with him as he moved through the house, gathering possessions he’d like to keep in waxed canvas bags. Most of what he brought with him were clothes. While it was much easier to move in the water while naked, he wanted to have warm clothes to change into whenever he was out of the water. He really, really, was very tired of being cold all the time. 

 

A wave of apology filtered through the bond, Hannibal’s own displeasure at Will’s discomfort making itself known. Will sent him the equivalent of a mental, “don’t worry about it” and finished packing his bags. He packed some food as well, since he wouldn’t mind some variety outside of fish, and he still seemed to crave human food. It was hard to tell if his nutritional requirements had changed, or if his mind just remembered the food he was used to, and craved the familiarity. 

 

Bags packed, he left the house once more, taking the letter with him.

 

He’d slipped clothes on before leaving and was grateful for it now, the sea spray like shards of ice on his face and hands. It was only a few moments more before Will’s things were loaded onto the sailboat and he unmoored, sailing towards the open ocean. 

 

He could see Hannibal’s mane of tentacles drifting just beneath the waves as he easily kept up with Will’s boat. He wondered if Hannibal preferred to swim, rather than sail with him on board. 

 

**_I always wish to be near you._ ** Hannibal thought, but that wasn’t quite an answer. 

 

**_Is it more comfortable to swim alongside me?_ ** Will asked directly. 

 

**_Both are comfortable, albeit in completely different ways._ ** Hannibal said. 

 

**_I guess it doesn’t really matter, since we can talk regardless._ ** Will said with a small huff of laughter. 

 

**_You are correct._ **

 

\--------

 

They sailed through the night and a decent part of the day, stopping when the sun was high in the sky. Will was tired, and while Hannibal didn't show it, Will felt the silence in his mind that belied his exhaustion. 

 

Hannibal came on board at Will’s insistence, and in the shade that the sails provided, they curled up against each other and napped in the afternoon sun. 

 

Hannibal woke to gentle kisses being pressed to his skin, peppering his shoulders and neck, trailing down to his collarbone and collecting in the ridge of bone. Will’s teeth, which seemed to have gotten a bit sharper than what they had been before, nipped at Hannibal’s skin, and Hannibal rumbled his approval. His darling mate had fangs, was no delicate flower. There was something primal that Will’s bites stoked in Hannibal, thoughts of providing for his mate by any means necessary, up to and including providing his own flesh for his beloved to feast upon. 

 

“Mmm...that probably shouldn’t be quite as hot as it is.” Will murmured against his clavicle. “But I can think of another way I’d rather eat you...” He smirked, delighting in the heat he saw flare in Hannibal’s eyes. 

 

“Dear Will...” Hannibal crooned. “Why ever did you decide to dress?” He asked, tentacles already helping Will out of his clothes, to no complaint from Will. 

 

“To give you the pleasure of undressing me, of course.” He teased, climbing over Hannibal to grind his growing erection against the man’s abdomen. 

 

“C’mon, Hannibal. I want you...” He moaned. “Take me.” 

 

“With pleasure, my love.” 

 

\--------

 

Diving into the water headfirst, Will braced for the shock the cold water would have on his skin. It was like a million icy daggers tearing and ripping into his flesh, but he grit his teeth and pushed on. 

 

Hannibal encouraged him, swimming alongside at Will’s pace, just in case he was needed, but he knew that Will would take exception to being towed the whole way, so Hannibal didn’t offer, and Will's gratitude pulsed prominently through the bond. Hannibal just hoped that the sea witch would be able to help them after all. 

 

The entrance to her cave was eerie, far more so than anything Will had ever seen. It was as if here, there was no current. The water didn’t seem to move, nor did there seem to be any living creature in the vicinity. The coral was dead, and bone-white. The cavern was clearly made out of a volcanic fissure, but one that had gone cold long ago. 

 

“Hannibal...” Came a sudden, sultry voice from the shadows, one that immediately put Will on edge. “My...I should have expected I had not yet seen the last of you.” 

 

She sounded...resigned, yet also bemused. 

 

Will squinted at the darkness, only barely able to make out the many-limbed figure that wore the dark like a veil. 

 

“Bedelia.” Hannibal nodded. “I am glad to see you are well. I have come to seek your aid.” He said politely, thought Will could detect something... _ more _ beneath his words. 

 

“I see you’ve brought a human...your  _ pet _ , I presume?” And oh, that was it, Will glared in her general direction. He was nobody’s pet. 

 

“My bonded mate, Will Graham.” Hannibal proudly introduced him, smiling fondly. 

 

Bedelia slinked forward, into the light, and Will couldn’t help but stare. She was beautiful, he supposed, in a conventional sort of way. Long, wavy, blonde hair that flowed around her and did nothing to cover her naked breasts, not that she seemed in any way ashamed. There was almost no distinction between where her skin ended and tentacles began, all of her a pale, sickly white, bordering on a white powder blue. 

 

“Bonded? My, how the mighty have fallen. Consorting with beasts, now, are we?” Bedelia smirked cruelly. 

 

Will hated her. And he hated the way Hannibal insisted on keeping up this...veneer of civility, especially in the face of someone so clearly unpleasant. 

 

“I cannot say how the fates work, or why we are driven to who we are.” Hannibal said with the closest thing to a shrug as he could manage, without actually doing so. 

 

“Speak for yourself. I would sooner breed a mackerel.” She sneered, looking Will up and down. “This human is unremarkable, and incapable of a full transformation, it seems.” 

 

Will never stopped glaring, but he noticed a twinge of anger from Hannibal and felt vindicated that at least he wasn’t alone in this. 

 

“But to allow yourself to be bred...” She shuddered. “Well. I suppose you’re going to want me to help him.” 

 

And in that moment, Will realized something. This woman, this...sea witch. Bedelia. She was a male of Hannibal’s species. 

 

As if confirming this, she swooped forward, her tentacles coming into full view, and proving to be noticeably larger and more numerous than Hannibal’s. Will was almost startled to find just how utterly  _ jealous  _ he was. 

 

He didn’t doubt Hannibal’s devotion, he could read the man’s thoughts, after all. But even then, there was the niggling doubt - what if? They had known each other for a long time, clearly. Probably before Will was even  _ born _ , if Hannibal was to be believed about his age. Who’s to say nothing ever happened between them? How did his species handle fidelity, especially before one’s soulmate had been born? 

 

He felt Hannibal take his hand and squeeze it gently, but there was no straightforward mental answer from Hannibal, just a wave of vague reassurance, which wasn’t at all reassuring. 

 

“I would appreciate your help in this matter, yes.” Hannibal agreed. “Help me complete his transformation and we may consider the debt between us settled.” 

 

Will could see that this was the piece needed to get her to help them, and she agreed with a sigh and probably would have rolled her eyes as well, had she not considered it beneath her. 

 

“Very well, I will fix your broken pet.” She agreed. “And to think, I had once considered the possibility of our own progeny to be a blight on this earth. If only I had known the scum you would skim from the surface of the pond.” 

 

“You’re just jealous that you don’t have a mate.” Will blurted out, realizing how true it must have been when her eyes snapped to his in cold fury. “You’re alone and bitter about the fact that everyone you’ve ever known has found their mate, and you’re here, sunk at the bottom of the ocean, with nothing but the skeletons of life around you.” 

 

Will could feel the pride and adoration pouring off of Hannibal in his mind, and it bolstered him against the steely glare that she fixed on him, her mane of tentacles rising menacingly. 

 

_ Oh shit.  _

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on [Tumblr](yggdrastiles.tumblr.com)


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